INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated leprosy in relation to the clinical, sociodemographic, nutritional and dietary profiles of patients diagnosed at primary healthcare units in the suburbs of Greater Vit{\'o}ria, State of Esp{\'\i}rito Santo, Brazil, from January to December 2009.
METHODS: The study involved 152 male and female patients initiating polychemotherapy treatment. The collected data included sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical and dietary aspects derived from a questionnaire of eating frequency (QEF) that was validated and adapted for Brazilian culture. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to evaluate patient nutritional status.
RESULTS: The study showed that: 79 (52\%) of the participants were women, average age was 40.4 years-old ({\textpm} 16.9); 81 (53.3\%) were employed; the mean number of years of schooling was 7.1 ({\textpm} 4.5). Concerning the disease, 79 (52\%) of the participants were multibacillary and 73 (48\%) paucibacillary. The bacilloscopy index was negative in 125 (82.2\%) patients. Excess weight was identified in 11.8\% and 5.3\% were underweight. Rice and beans were mentioned frequently, 87.3\% and 88.7\%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that simple actions, initiated during primary healthcare, can help to improve the treatment of patients with the leprosy.
}, year = {2011}, journal = {Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical}, volume = {44}, pages = {228-31}, month = {2011 Mar-Apr}, issn = {1678-9849}, url = {http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rsbmt/2011nahead/aop19-11.pdf}, doi = {10.1590/s0037-86822011005000016}, language = {por}, }