01910nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001653001100042653001500053653001200068653003900080653001500119100002000134700001500154700001300169700001400182700001300196700001500209700001200224700001700236700001300253700001500266245012600281856005600407490000600463520116300469       2016                            d10aBrazil10aDisability10aleprosy10aNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)10aPrevention1 aCosta Moreno CM1 aAzevedo IC1 aLuna FDT1 aSilva RCL1 aLima JVH1 aAquino LAP1 aToepp A1 aJeronimo SMB1 aVitor AF1 aSantos VEP00aTemporal analysis of a case series of leprosy patients from a low endemic area in Brazil and the magnitude of disability.  uhttp://imed.pub/ojs/index.php/iam/article/view/18800 v93 a<p>Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae infection. The incubation period after the primary infection can be as long as decades. This bacterium has a tropism for macrophages and Schwann cells and as result neuropathies are frequent. The state of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil has areas of low and high endemicity for leprosy. The aim of this study was to analyze a leprosy time series from Rio Grande do Norte, from 2005 to 2014, based on<br />
data provided by the Notifiable Diseases Information System from the State Secretariat of Health. This was a quantitative, descriptive and analytical study. We considered variables such as sex, age, clinical form, operational classification and disability grade at diagnosis. There were 3,426 cases of leprosy reported of which 1,781 were females (52%). Of those patients, 29% presented disability at diagnosis. The high level of disability in patients along with the lack of information regarding disability levels indicates the need for more effective measures, with early diagnosis to decrease morbidity as leprosy still remains as a serious public health problem.</p>