Functional Activity Limitation and Quality of Life of Leprosy Cases in an Endemic Area in Northeastern Brazil

Background

Few studies have evaluated the association between quality of life (QoL) and functional activity limitations (FAL) of leprosy patients as determined by the Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness scale (SALSA).

Aim

To identify the association between FALs and the QoL of patients during and post leprosy treatment.

Materials and Methods

Cross-sectional survey of 104 patients with leprosy followed in specialist reference centres in Sergipe, Brazil, between June and October 2014. QoL was evaluated using the World Health Organization-QoL-BREF (WHOQoL-BREF) questionnaire. The SALSA scale was used to measure FALs.

Results

Low SALSA scores were present in 76% of patients. QoL scores were lower for the physical and environmental domains, with median (interquartile range (IQR)) scores of 53.6 (32.1–67.9) and 53.1 (46.9–64.8), respectively. There was a statistical association between increasing SALSA scores and lower QoL as measured by the WHOQoL-BREF.

Conclusion

Functional limitations are associated with lower QoL in leprosy patients, especially in the physical and environmental WHOQoL-BREF domains.

Author Summary

Leprosy is still a neglected public health problem. Leprosy causes disability and functional limitations (FALs) if not treated early. We describe the functional activity and quality of life (QoL) of adults with leprosy attending two reference centres in Sergipe, Brazil. Patients with leprosy had low QoL, which was associated to the degree of FALs. Despite increased access to diagnosis and modern multidrug leprosy therapy, leprosy is still strongly associated with FALs and low QoL. We stress here the importance of public health efforts to diagnose the disease early and to provide supportive systems for patients receiving treatment in endemic areas.