Psychoactive substance use in patients with tuberculosis, treatment adherence, Brief Interventions

Abstract

Abstract Background Psychoactive substance use associated with tuberculosis therapy is an urgent public health issue in the contemporary world. Objective To characterize the profile and psychoactive substance use of patients undergoing tuberculosis treatment and to analyze the association between health-related variables, consumption, and treatment adherence, from the perspective of Brief Interventions. Methodology Descriptive transversal epidemiological study, carried out in primary care units, with 114 patients undergoing tuberculosis treatment, from June 2016 to July 2017. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were used. Results Smokers who drank alcohol (p = 0.058) and those who reported not having chronic diseases (p = 0.024) had a need to receive brief interventions. Cannabis use was more frequent among smokers (p = 0.009). With regard to cocaine use, a significant association was found between smoking and the number of chronic diseases. In this sample, 40% of smokers, 21.1% of alcohol drinkers, 10.5% of cannabis users, and 13.7% of cocaine/crack users adhered to treatment. Conclusions These results demonstrated the vulnerability of this population to psychoactive substance use based on treatment adherence and the importance of using Brief Interventions for monitoring, especially in primary care settings. Key messages The study showed an opportunity to apply the diagnostic strategy of brief intervention in this population in primary care. It showed an impact on the change in behavior of these patients, in view of greater adherence to treatment and improvement in quality of life.