Leprosy in the context of the Family Health Strategy in an endemic scenario in Maranhão: prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of leprosy and verify the factors associated with multibacillary clinical types in a Family Health Strategy priority setting to control and monitor the disease in northeastern Brazil. This cross-sectional study used data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System related to leprosy cases notified in Imperatriz, Maranhão, between 2008 and 2017. The prevalence was determined yearly and for the period. Poisson regression models with a significance level of 5% were employed to associate the variables and the multibacillary clinical types. Most of the 2,476 leprosy cases analyzed referred to multibacillary clinical types. The prevalence ranged from 7.8 and 15.6/10,000 inhabitants, with high and very high endemicity levels. The variables male, age groups between 30 and 59 years and ≥60 years, schooling <8 years, level 2 physical disability, types 1 and 2 reactive episodes, and urban residence area showed significant associations (p≤0.05) with multibacillary clinical types. Such findings can serve as a basis for elaborating and implementing leprosy control and surveillance measures, gearing actions to the most vulnerable groups, and becoming more effective.

Keywords
Leprosy; Epidemiology; Family Health Strategy