Background: Leprosy is an infectious and contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and is mainly characterized by lesions in the skin and peripheral nerves. In Brazil, it is a public health problem due to its high endemicity. However, the state of Rio Grande do Sul presents low endemicity of this disease.
Objective: To characterize the epidemiological profile of leprosy in the state of Rio Grande do Sul from 2000 to 2019.
Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Epidemiological data were collected from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN, Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação).
Results: Among the 497 municipalities in the state, 357 (71.8%) registered cases of leprosy in the assessed period, with an average of 212 (81.5%) new cases per year. The average detection rate was 1.61 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The male sex was predominant (51.9%) and the mean age was 50.4 years. Regarding the epidemiological clinical profile; 79.0% of the patients were multibacillary; 37.5% presented the borderline clinical form; 16% had grade 2 physical disability at diagnosis and bacilloscopy was positive in 35.4% of cases. As for treatment, 73.8% of the cases were treated with the standard multibacillary therapeutic regimen.
Study limitations: There were missing/inconsistent data in the database available.
Conclusions: The findings observed in this study indicate that the state presents a low endemicity profile of the disease and these results can support adequate health policies relevant to the reality of Rio Grande do Sul, inserted in a national scenario of highly endemic leprosy.
}, year = {2023}, journal = {Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia}, publisher = {Elsevier BV}, issn = {0365-0596}, url = {https://www.anaisdedermatologia.org.br/en-pdf-S0365059623000909}, doi = {10.1016/j.abd.2022.08.009}, language = {Eng, Por}, }