Trend in detection rates of leprosy in youngs from 10 to 19 years old in the Regions of Integration of Pará State, Brazil, from 2005 to 2014

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

The occurrence of leprosy in youngs may represent the weakness of disease control and the permanence of its endemicity.

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the tendency of detection rate of leprosy in youngs from 10 to 19 years old in the Regions of Integration of Pará State, Brazil, from 2005 to 2014.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Exploratory ecological study based on data collection from the Information System on Diseases of Compulsory Declaration stored in Department of Epidemiology of Secretaria de Estado de Saúde Pública of Pará State. The study analyzed 7,606 reports of leprosy in youngs, considering the following variables: sex, race/color, age, schooling, pregnancy, municipality of residence, year of disease diagnosis, clinical form and operational classification.

RESULTS:

The largest proportions of new cases occurred in Carajás (14.23%) and Metropolitana (14.07%) regions. The highest detection rates were observed in the regions: Metropolitana (389.0/100,000), Lago Tucuruí (259.2 /100,000), and Carajás (196.7/100,000). The greatest reductions in the number of new cases occurred in Araguaia (69.5%), Lago Tucuruí (67.9%), and Baixo Amazonas (65.6%) regions. Relating to clinical and sociodemographic profiles, the most prevalent were: male gender; race/brown skin; incomplete elementary school; non-pregnant youngs; indeterminate clinical form; and paucibacillary operational classification. There was a proportional superiority of the dimorphic clinical form among the multibacillary comparing to the proportion of the indeterminate form among the paucibacillary.

CONCLUSION:

Pará State is still considered far from a favorable evolution in the leprosy control among youngs, so it is necessary strategies that make effective actions of disease control.