Magnitude e distribuição espacial e temporal de casos novos de hanseníase em adolescentes no Brasil

Abstract

Leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease, of compulsory notification and investigation in Brazil, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which affects mainly skin and nerves, with high incapacitating power. It has a focal distribution in endemic areas, with strong association to lower socioeconomic levels. The countries with the highest number of notifications of new cases (NC) of the disease are India, Brazil and Indonesia. This study aims to describe the magnitude and spatial and temporal distribution of new cases of leprosy in adolescents in Brazil, reported in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), age group 12 to 19 years, from 2001 to 2020. This is a study with different designs: 1- cross-sectional descriptive exploratory study; 2- population-based ecological study, with mixed design by temporal and spatial analysis. The study is based on epidemiological data regarding leprosy in the period from 2001 to 2020. 65,986 CN were notified with a predominance of males (n=33,676, 51%) and browns (n=34,670, 52.5%). The age group with the highest number of cases was 16-19 years (n=35,350, 53.6%). CN were diagnosed in all states, particularly concentrated in the Northeast, North and Midwest regions. The Northeast was the region that concentrated the highest number of cases, with 29,278 CN (44.4%). Although most cases were paucibacillary, a significant number of multibacillary cases were diagnosed. The fact that this population was presenting some degree of physical disability (GIF) at the time of the evaluation is related to the delay in diagnosis, particularly due to the failure to evaluate contacts. The Northeast region of Brazil presents a difference in the proportion of NCs diagnosed when compared to the North region, where the detection rate is higher. Leprosy is an important public health problem in Brazil among adolescents, with a profile indicating vulnerability. Although there is a reduction in the temporal trend, some regions remain with high detection rates, above the country's average, making evident the deficiency in the development of disease control strategies aimed at this specific population.