EFEITOS ADVERSOS À POLIQUIMIOTERAPIA EM PACIENTES COM HANSENÍASE ATENDIDOS NAS UNIDADES BÁSICAS DE SAÚDE NA CIDADE DE CAJAZEIRAS - PB

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease, caused by infection caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. Since the 1980s, polychemotherapy for the treatment of the disease has been recommended by the World Health Organization, consisting of the combination of dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin. Therefore, the objective was to verify the adverse effects of the drugs used and irregularities in the treatment of leprosy and the occurrence of changes in the therapeutic scheme, based on the review of the medical records of patients treated in the Basic Health Units of the municipality of Cajazeiras-PB. Retrospective and documentary study, with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from the medical records of 48 patients who completed treatment for leprosy between January 2013 and May 2016. Cutaneous effects related to clofazimine were the most frequent of the adverse effects, such as skin hyperpigmentation (45.8%) and ichthyosis / xerosis (37.5%). Among the adverse reactions found in laboratory tests, anemia (25%), associated with the use of dapsone, stands out. The emergence of adverse drug reactions interfered with treatment adherence, in which the abandonment of two patients was confirmed. Therefore, it is necessary to have an effective active search for patients, to prevent cases of abandonment.