Epidemiological, clinical, and operational aspects of leprosy patients assisted at a referral service in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and operational aspects of leprosy carriers. METHODS A cross-sectional study leprosy patients assisted in São Luis, MA, was performed. RESULTS Of the 85 cases analyzed, 51.7% were male participants, and 60% were brown. Concerning the age, 54.8% of women were between 35 and 49 years, and 57.6% of men were between 20 and 34 years. Lepromatous leprosy was found in 42.3% of cases, and the multibacillary form was found in 72.9%. The skin smear was positive in 42.3%. The occurrence of reaction was found in 43.5% of cases, and 83.5% had no Bacillus Calmette-Guérin scar. Leprosy in the family was reported by 44.7% of the patients. Most of the individuals (96.4%) lived in houses made of brick with more than three rooms (72.6%) and two persons per room (65.1%). Concerning the level of education, 41.4% of women and 34.1% of men had more than one to three years of education. The most evaluated age group in the beginning of the treatment was that of 35 to 49 years with a Grade 0 incapability (64.5%), and that in the end was the age group of 20 to 34 (29.9%) with Grade 0, 30.7% Grade 1, and 11.5% Grade 2. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of multibacillary forms found in this study and the cases in family members point out delayed diagnoses. Thus, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important in decreasing the outcome of disabilities.