BACKGROUND: Leprosy is the main infectious cause of disability. It is said to be eradicated in São Paulo since 2005, but diagnosis is still late.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the social, clinical and laboratorial profile of leprosy patients diagnosed between 01/2007 and 12/2011, in a reference center in São Paulo.
METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study. Data of all new leprosy cases diagnosed between 01/2007 and 12/2011 were raised in São Paulo.
RESULTS: 103 men and 71 women were diagnosed, most of them were multibacillary. Mean age at diagnosis was 49 yrs; 2,2% were children; 70% had incomplete primary education; 50% were referred without diagnostic suspicion of leprosy. Mean time since first symptoms/signs and diagnosis was 2 years; 64% of patients had some degree of disability, and 26% had grade 2. 23 cases were diagnosed only after being summoned, and 80% of these had no disability. Agreement between the Ridley and Jopling and the WHO classification was 75% (kappa index = 0.44). Serology for IgM anti-PGL1 (87 patients) showed a mean value of 0.25, and an association between MB classification and test positivity (p <0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Leprosy diagnosis in São Paulo is late. The disease mainly affected the socially disadvantaged and economically active population. Failure to detect the disease (41% in the last 10 years) could be due to the lack of suspicion and to decentralization. For the classification of patients with advanced leprosy, both the WHO and R&J classifications proved to be helpful tools.
}, year = {2015}, journal = {Anais brasileiros de dermatologia}, volume = {90}, pages = {169-177}, issn = {1806-4841}, url = {http://www.scielo.br/pdf/abd/v90n2/0365-0596-abd-90-02-0169.pdf}, doi = {10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153385}, language = {eng}, }