Leprosy and Disability in Children Younger Than 15 Years in an Endemic Area of Northeast Brazil

Santos, Victor S, Santos, Lilian C, Lôbo, Laís V R, Lemos, Lígia, Gurgel, Ricardo Q and Cuevas, Luis ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6581-0587 (2015) 'Leprosy and Disability in Children Younger Than 15 Years in an Endemic Area of Northeast Brazil'. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Vol 34, Issue 3, e44-e47.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Background:
Leprosy in children is still a frequent but sometimes unrecognized public health problem and an important cause of disability. Establishing the risk factors that lead to the development of disability is important for the development of suitable prevention programs. We describe the incidence of leprosy and the prevalence and degree of associated disabilities in children <15 years of age at the time of first presentation to the health services in Aracaju, Sergipe, Northeast Brazil.

Methods:
A retrospective case series of 266 cases of leprosy in children under 15 years old of Aracaju from 2001 to 2012. Logistic regressions were performed to identify factors for disability.

Results:
The average detection rate was 16.5/100,000 children under 15 years old per year over the study period. Physical disability was associated with the presence of affected nerves and multibacillary leprosy.

Conclusions:
The detection rate of leprosy in children is still high in Aracaju, Northeast Brazil. Having affected nerves and multibacillary leprosy are associated with the development of disability in children.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 320 Child Welfare. Child Health Services. WC Communicable Diseases > Infection. Bacterial Infections > Other Bacterial Infections. Zoonotic Bacterial Infections > WC 335 Leprosy WS Pediatrics > By Age Groups > WS 460 Adolescence (General)
Faculty: Department:	Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000000592
Depositing User:	Jessica Jones
Date Deposited:	12 Feb 2016 10:55
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2018 13:11
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/5630

Statistics

View details

Actions (login required)

Edit Item