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Leprosy in the elderly population of Alagoas

2018; UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO; Volume: 21; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/1981-22562018021.180076

1981-2256

David Darnis Bezerra da Silva, Clódis Maria Tavares, Nataly Mayara Cavalcante Gomes, Aline Costa Cardoso, Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio, Paula Sacha Frota Nogueira,

Health, Nursing, Elderly Care

Abstract Objective: to describe the epidemiological profile of elderly persons with leprosy in the state of Alagoas. Method: a descriptive epidemiological study of leprosy cases among the elderly reported to the Disease Notification Information System between 2005 and 2015 was carried out. Results: a total of 896 cases were identified, with a predominance of 60-69 years old (60.5%), who were male (50.4%), had no schooling (34.8%), no source of income (54.1%), multibacillary forms of the disease (67.9%), and a high proportion of grade I (30.3%) and II (11.8%) disability at diagnosis. Hyperendemicity was noted during the survey period, with a mean detection rate of 29.48 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Conclusion: leprosy is a growing disease among the elderly and early detection should be encouraged in this population to prevent the impairment of active aging.