Epidemiological Profile of Leprosy in the State of Pará between the Years 2019 and 2023
Marcos Vinicius Luz Barbosa *
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Carolina Brandão Campêlo
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Daniel Messias Vasconcellos
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Gabriel Abucater Wal Menin
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Jose Osmar Oliveira Neto
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Matheus Valente dos Santos
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Miriam Flávia Moura de Souza
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Naara Silveira Abdon Melo
Universidade do Estado do Pará- UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Camila Carvalho do Vale
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem, Universidade do Estado do Pará e Universidade Federal do Amazonas (PPGENF/UEPA-UFAM), Belém, Pará, Brasil.
Rosiane Pinheiro Rodrigues
Programa de Pós Graduação em Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Trópico Úmido, (PPGDSTU/NAEA), Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA, Pará, Brasil.
Thayse Moraes de Moraes
Programa de Pós Graduação em Doenças Tropicais (PPGDT), Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA, Pará, Brasil.
Larissa Cristina Machado de Barros
Programa de Pós Graduação em Ensino em Saúde na Amazônia (PPGESA), Universidade do Estado do Pará, UEPA, Pará, Brasil.
Sergio Alexandre Oliveira Malcher
Programa de Pós Graduação em Doenças Tropicais (PPGDT), Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA, Pará, Brasil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to analyze the epidemiological profile of reported leprosy cases in the state of Pará between the years 2019 and 2023.
Methods: Regarding methodological aspects, this is an epidemiological, retrospective, quantitative, cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study. Data were collected from the Notifiable Diseases Information System of the Department of Health Information (SINAN/DATASUS). The following variables were obtained: age group, sex, education level, self-declared race/color, reported clinical form, reported disability assessment, diagnosed operational classification, and municipality of notification.
Results: The results showed that, during the analyzed period, there was a predominance of leprosy cases in patients of mixed race, accounting for 73.4% of the total cases, and in males, with 65% of cases. The dimorphic clinical form was the most common (55.3%), and most patients were diagnosed in the multibacillary phase (82.8%), with a physical disability grade of 0 (53.4%). In terms of sociodemographic distribution, the municipality of Marituba had the highest number of reported cases, representing 13.4% of the total.
Conclusion: The analysis indicated a relationship between socioeconomic factors, low education levels, and the prevalence of leprosy, especially among men. The COVID-19 pandemic possibly affected case reporting between 2020 and 2021, leading to potential underreporting. The predominance of the multibacillary form and the high percentage of cases in men may suggest limitations in early diagnosis and health policies aimed at controlling leprosy in the state.
Keywords: Endemic, epidemiology, rosk factors, leprosy