Abstract

CUEVAS ORTIZ, Liliana et al. Clinical and sociodemographical caracterization of new cases of leprosy in both endemic and non-endemic municipalities in Colombia. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2004, vol.6, suppl.1, pp.50-63. ISSN 0124-0064.

OBJECTIVE: To describe some socio-demographical, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the new cases of leprosy and household reported from 9 endemic and 1 non-endemic towns in Colombia. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive analysis was made from the information of the new leprosy cases included in the leprosy control and elimination program of the participant towns in the study carried out between November 2002 and October 2003. RESULTS: 62.2 % of the cases presented the multibacillary form and 63 % of them were males; the median age was 46.5 years. 55.6 % of the new cases had first or second level impairments at the moment of diagnosis. This percentage is higher than the one reported in 2003 at a nationwide level, 37.5 %. A positive correlation was observed between the Unsatisfied Basic Needs Index (NBI) and the disease incidence by town (r=0.69, p=0.0180). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the little response of the Leprosy Control Program in some towns to carry out the active and timely detection of the diseased people, besides making evide nt the historical relationship that this disease has had with poverty.

Keywords : Leprosy; endemic; demograpy; epidemiology.

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