Clinical and epidemiological profile of leprosy patients attended at Ceará, 2007-2011

Abstract: Background: Leprosy is an infectious chronic condition associated with potentially serious physical, social and psychological impacts. Objectives: To characterize the clinical and epidemiological profile of leprosy patients treated from 2007 to 2011 in the University Hospital of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study. The study population consisted of residents in the state of Ceará treated in a dermatology clinic between 2007-2011. Clinical and epidemiological data analyzed were obtained from medical records and from the database of national Information System for Notifiable Diseases. Results: 475 cases were analyzed, mostly women (51.8%), aged 45-59 years (35.0%) - mean of 45.2 years at diagnosis - with 6.3% of children under 15 , with low education (73.7%), white color (68.8%), residency in the city of Fortaleza (82.3%), and no defined work occupation (59.6%). At diagnosis, most patients were multibacillary (MB) (65.5%), had borderline clinical form (48.0%), and 22.7% had physical disability (8.0% with grade 2), predominantly in MB cases (p