Situação epidemiológica da hanseníase no município de Santa Maria do Salto MG de 2004 a 2010

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the leprosy epidemiological profile in Santa Maria do Salto city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, between 2004 to 2010. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of historical series, descriptive and exploratory, done with leprosy cases in Santa Maria de Salto city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, between 2004 to 2010. The Epidemiological data on new cases of leprosy were collected from the Information Technology Department of Unified Health System (DATASUS) of the Ministry of Health and the Health Department of Santa Maria do Salto city. The incidences rates were calculated as10,000 per habitants according to sex and year of occurrence. Tables and graphs of frequency distributions for operational classification and clinical form of the disease were also constructed. Results: The average incidence rate of leprosy in the study period was very high (22.8/10,000), despite the downward trend in 2010. The diagnosis was more common in males (52.7%). With regard to the operational classification of leprosy, the multibacillary was predominant, although the last two years (2009 and 2010), the paucibacillary form was the most commonly diagnosed. Furthermore, in relation to the clinical form of the disease, indeterminate was the most identified among the cases reported (36.2%). Conclusion: The magnitude of leprosy in Santa Maria do Salto city was very high, but shows a declining trend. The more severe forms of disease are being gradually replaced by milder. Thus, training activities and training of health teams in the city, especially, within primary care should be promoted to the continuing improvement of the leprosy epidemiological profile in the region.