Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wijesinghe, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Antoinette Perera, M. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wijesinghe, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Antoinette Perera, M. S.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Compound via MeSH
*Substance via MeSH
Hazardous Substances DB
*DIETHYLCARBAMAZINE CITRATE
Medline Plus Health Information
*Lymphedema
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Treatment-Seeking Behavior and Treatment Practices of Lymphatic Filariasis Patients With Lymphoedema in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka

Rushika Shalindri Wijesinghe, MBBS, MD

Department of Parasitology, University of Sri Jayawardenepura, rushiwije{at}yahoo.com

Ananda Rajitha Wickremasinghe, MBBS, PhD

Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka

Sriyani Ekanayake, PhD

Department of Parasitology, University of Sri Jayawardenepura

Marian Shanthy Antoinette Perera, MBBS, MD

Department of Family Medicine Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

This cross-sectional, descriptive study describes the treatment-seeking behavior of 413 lymphoedema patients attending 2 filariasis clinics in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. A pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire obtained information regarding sources and types of treatment taken, time taken for diagnosis, and details regarding diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) treatment. There was a mean delay of 2.37 years (SD 1.37) in diagnosing filariasis after the first appearance of limb swelling. General practitioners were the most frequent first-contact health care providers and the most visited source overall, followed by government hospitals and Ayurvedic practitioners. Approximately 95% of patients were on DEC treatment ranging from 10 days to 43 years (mean 2.5 years SD ± 1.1). Sixty-one percent of patients reported always having taken the recommended DEC course. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diuretics, and antibiotics were liberally prescribed. Approximately 97% had sought treatment from a medical practitioner for an acute adenolymphangitis attack. Despite the area being endemic for filariasis, there was a delay in treatment and inappropriate use of DEC in patients with chronic filarial lymphoedema.

Key Words: filariasis • lymphoedema • Sri Lanka • treatment

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 20, No. 2, 129-138 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1010539507311257
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?