ASPECTOS CLÍNICOS E SOCIODEMOGRÁFICOS DA HANSENÍASE NO ESTADO DO MARANHÃO ENTRE 2020 E 2024

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.6422501103

• Palavras-chave: Hanseníase; Epidemiologia; Perfil de Saúde.

• Keywords: Leprosy; Epidemiology; Health Profile.

• Abstract: Leprosy, a chronic infectious disease, persists as a serious public health problem in Brazil, which holds the second worldwide position in the number of new cases, with emphasis on the North and Northeast regions, such as the state of Maranhão. The present study aimed to analyze the clinical-epidemiological profile of leprosy in the state of Maranhão from 2020 to 2024. This is an epidemiological, descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study, conducted with 14,286 leprosy cases reported in Maranhão, extracted from the Brazilian Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN). Sociodemographic (sex, race/color, education level) and clinical variables (clinical form and degree of physical disability - GPD) were analyzed using descriptive statistics, calculating absolute and relative frequencies. The results indicated a predominance of cases in males (62.3%) and in the brown race/color (68.3%). The majority of patients had low education levels, with 31.8% being illiterate or having incomplete primary education (1st to 4th grade). There was an expressive predominance of multibacillary clinical forms (Borderline/Dimorphous with 54.7% and Lepromatous/Virchowian with 20.7%), totaling over 75% of notifications. Furthermore, 41.8% of patients already presented with some degree of physical disability (GPD I or GPD II) at the time of diagnosis. The study concludes that the leprosy profile in Maranhão reflects the late diagnosis of the disease, which is evidenced by the high rate of multibacillary forms and physical disabilities at the time of notification. This situation suggests the urgent need for a reformulation of control strategies to focus on early detection and the social determinants of health.