[Pulmonary tuberculosis: knowledge, beliefs and practices of tubercular patients' carers in Ouagadougou]

Describe the knowledge, beliefs and practices on tuberculosis of tubercular patients' carers in Ouagadougou.

A prospective descriptive transversal study was carried out. Participants were sourced from the four Centers of Diagnosis and Treatment, the National Center for the Fight Against Tuberculosis and the department of Pneumology of the Yalgado Ouédraogo University hospital. The recruitment was exhaustive and included the carers of tubercular patients (pulmonary tuberculosis with positive microscopy).

The average age of the carers was 36 years ± 14, with a majority of them bring male. In 33.7% of the cases the carer was a sibling and not schooled in 45.2%. A good understanding of tuberculosis was found at 20.2 % of the carers. Among the subjects which had a good understanding, 71.4 % were schooled and 88.1% came from an urban environment. Understanding tuberculosis is associated with academic level. Knowledge of the modes of contamination of tuberculosis was low (48,1%). Among the carers, 37% did not know that the tubercular patient should not be isolated by their circle of acquaintances, 19.2% assured the supervision of medicine intake. Respectively, 1.4% and 5.8% believe that tuberculosis is associated with witchcraft and divine punishment. Approximately two thirds of the carers refused to share the same dish as the tubercular patient.

An insufficient general knowledge of tuberculosis emerges from our work and modes of contamination. The beliefs and behavioral practices of the carers towards the tubercular patients tend to increase the stigmatization of tuberculosis.