Physical disabilities resulting from Hansen's disease in vale Do Jequitinhonha/state of minas gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Francisco Carlos Félix Lana Evaldo Pinheiro Amaral Fernanda Moura Lanza Andrigo Neves e Silva Lopes de Saldanha Leprosy is potentially debilitating. The present study aims at describing and assessing the occurrence of physical disabilities in cases of leprosy in the population of the Vale do Jequitinhonha/MG, in the period 1998-2006. It is an epidemiological descriptive study and the data were collected from the Leprosy Notification Forms. This information was processed using EPI-INFO and analyzed, based on the indicators recommended by the Ministry of Health and the force of association between variables. Of the 1461 cases notified, 46.2% were diagnosed with some kind of physical disability (12.1% degree II). Of these, 59.1% were male; 96.9% of the people were over 15 years old, and 93.2% were multibacillary (p < 0.001). A hidden prevalence of 433 cases was estimated in the period 2002-2006. The results show that the diagnosis of Hansen's disease in the region is late, revealing the need to intensify prevention and control.