III Departamento de Enfermagem. Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso.

Recurrence of leprosy cases in the State of Mato Grosso, Central-West Brazil OBJECTIVE: To compare new registrations of recurrences of leprosy cases in primary healthcare units (PHUs) and in specialized units in the State of Mato Grosso. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study based on all new registrations (N = 323) of recurrences of leprosy cases within the Notifi able Disease Information System (SINAN) between 2004 and 2006 that were made in the State of Mato Grosso, Central-West Brazil. The cases diagnosed were compared regarding sex, age, clinical-laboratory characteristics and geographical distribution among the municipalities. To compare and calculate the proportions of the variables, the chi-square test at the signifi cance level of 5 % was used. RESULTS: Among the new registrations of recurrences, 20 % were confi rmed a