Análise dos aspectos epidemiológicos de hanseníase no estado do Maranhão nos anos de 2017 a 2022

Abstract

Leprosy is a chronic and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an obligate intracellular bacterium, which manifests itself mainly through dermatoneurological signs and symptoms, with a predilection for skin cells and peripheral nerves. With an incubation period that varies from 2 to 7 years, it is a disease of slow and silent evolution that can affect people in any age group, being more common in adults. The transmission of the bacillus occurs mainly through the upper respiratory tract and its primary attraction for invasion are the Schwann cells, which are located in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). This invasion can provide several forms of clinical picture, which are classified according to the immune response of each host. The research aims to analyze the epidemiological aspects of notified cases of leprosy in the state of Maranhão between the years 2017 to 2022. An observational study of the ecological, descriptive and analytical type was carried out. The cases notified in the Notifiable Disease Information System (SINAN) for Leprosy, from 2017 to 2022, were analyzed. All cases notified according to the data obtained from SINAN, accessed in the database of public access for Leprosy in the period from 2017 to 2022, which took place during the months of December 2022 and January 2023. As it is a scientific research that consists of using secondary data, from a public domain information platform, no it was necessary to submit this research to the Ethics Committee for Research on Human Beings (CEP) based on the Resolution of the National Health Council (CNS) No. 510, of April 7, 2016. A total of 17,917 cases were reported in Maranhão. cases of leprosy in the period from 2017 to 2022, with the highest absolute number recorded in 2019 (4,221 cases). The prevalence rate in the period studied was 4.23 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The year 2019 was the one with the highest prevalence rate per 10,000 inhabitants, with 5.97 in the period studied. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is concluded that the state of Maranhão, during the studied period, presented a high number of leprosy cases, with a prevalence rate of 4.23 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. Representing the highest prevalence rate in the northeast region. With the knowledge of the epidemiological profile of leprosy in the state of Maranhão, we can suggest that health managers carry out increasingly better plans, with information to the population about the disease and strategic actions, mainly in the Family Health strategy - the gateway to the patient in Primary Health Care – for an increasingly effective active search