Clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with hanseniasis in a reference unit in the state of Pará

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with leprosy in a reference unit in the state of Pará. Method: This is a descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional quantitative survey from January 2013 to January 2015 Results: Most cases of leprosy occurred between the ages of 30 and 39 years, being more prevalent in the male gender. The most frequent clinical forms were Dimorfa (55.5%) and Virchowiana (23.5%). The multibacillary forms corresponded to 79%. Regarding the physical disability, there was a significant tendency for the absence of incapacity with 53% of the patients. As for the proposed drug therapy, it was obtained complete adherence of (99.5%) patients. Conclusion: the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with leprosy assisted by the Reference Unit is generally characterized by a predominance of the male gender in the adult life, with the Belém metropolitan region as its main source. The Multibacillary form was predominant, higher prevalence of the Dimorfa clinical classification. In this study, more than 50% of the patients did not present any sign of disability and most of them were referred to the referral unit through primary health care. There was a high adherence to treatment, which may be a reflection of the implementation of education policies regarding the disease to the community, of the serious and dedicated work provided by this reference unit that values ​​the proper follow-up of this patient in order to avoid the progression of functional disabilities, ensuring the best quality of life.