EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF LEPROSY IN THE STATE OF PERNAMBUCO, FROM 2015 TO 2020

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1592103122

• Palavras-chave: Leprosy; epidemiology; sub-registration; health policy; health profile.

• Keywords: leprosy; epidemiology; underregistration; health policy; health profile

• Abstract:

  Leprosy is a chronic, contagious and granulomatous disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae or Hansen's bacillus, which has a predilection for skin cells and peripheral neurons. It is a disease that, when treated, has high recovery rates, but if left untreated, it can leave the affected individual with several permanent side-effects. This article is an epidemiological study of a quantitative descriptive type, using primary data extracted from government databases, and aims to analyze the epidemiological profile of leprosy in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and compare it to the profile of this disease throughout the country. The indicators for this analysis are: sex, age, education, pregnancy, race, age group, number of skin lesions, number of sputum smears performed, mode of entry, clinical approach, assessment of the degree of physical disability at diagnosis, current operational classification, and therapeutic scheme notified. There is a high prevalence of endemic diseases in Pernambuco, as well as in the Northeast region as a whole, which is attributed to low levels of human development and of sociocultural production. There is a high discrepancy in the number of notifications of leprosy among the municipalities of Pernambuco, which stems from the underreporting of cases and the  lack of strong control strategies by the municipalities. A higher percentage of leprosy cases was observed in brown men, over 15 years old, with incomplete primary education and with entry mode as new cases, characterizing the disease not only as a public health problem, but also a socioeconomic one.

• Número de páginas: 14