02140nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260004900042653001900091653002300110653001200133653001700145653002400162100001900186700001400205700001300219700001500232700001400247700001600261700001300277245014800290856006800438300000800506490000700514520131600521022002501837       2024                            d  bInstituto para o Desenvolvimento da Educacao10aPublic health 10aNeglected Diseases10aLeprosy10aEpidemiology10aHealth inequalities1 aBarbosa-Lima R1 aVivian GF1 aPinto MC1 aSantana DM1 aGarcia SZ1 aDe Gois KSN1 aSilva GM00aLeprosy-related disability in children and adolescents under 15 years old in Brazil: evaluation of macro-regional disparities from 2001 to 2022  uhttps://unichristus.emnuvens.com.br/jhbs/article/view/5281/2024  a1-80 v123 a<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>to investigate macro-regional disparities in the incidence of leprosy in children and adolescents under 15 years old in Brazil from 2001 to 2022, with a focus on leprosy-related disabilities.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:</strong> an ecological study was carried out with data from the Brazilian Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). The annual number of leprosy cases was normalized to every 100,000 residents in each macro-region (incidence), stratified by leprosy-related disability (grade 0, 1 and 2). The significance level was set at 5%, and Poisson regression adjusted for a robust dispersion was used to estimate the incidence ratio.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>approximately 14% (7,694) of all leprosy cases in this age group were notified with grade 1 (78.9%) or 2 (21.1%) disability. Moreover, in grade 1 and 2, the incidence of leprosy was significantly higher in the North, Northeast and Central-West macro-regions when compared to the national estimate, as well as significantly lower in the Southeast and South (p-value &lt;0.05).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>macro-regional disparities were observed in the incidence of leprosy in children and adolescents under 15 years old with grade 1 or 2 disability in Brazil from 2001 to 2022.</p>
  a2317-3076, 2317-3084