02463nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653002200067653005200089653001200141653001100153653002500164653001700189100002600206700001400232700001300246245008300259856010600342300001200448490000700460050001800467520169800485022001402183       2012                            d  c2012 Sep10aRelapse10aDisease reporting10aCross-Sectional Studies. Prevention and control10aleprosy10aBrazil10aState of Mato Grosso10aEpidemiology1 aBenevides Ferreira SM1 aIgnotti E1 aGamba MA00aClinical and laboratory characteristics in the retreatment of leprosy relapse.  uhttp://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-790X2012000300011&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en  a573-5810 v15  aFERREIRA 20123 aOBJECTIVE: To compare clinical and laboratory data of leprosy patients diagnosed in specialized services in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, during the initial treatment and the retreatment of relapse. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with diagnosis of leprosy relapse was conducted in specialized health services of five cities, between 2005 and 2007. Initial treatment was described as t1 and relapse treatment as t2. DATA SOURCE: Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Sinan - Reportable Diseases Information System), medical records, laboratory tests, and files of individual reports and of physical disability assessments. The chi-square test (c2) was applied at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The clinical dimorphic form prevailed in t2 when compared with t1 (39.6% versus 11.3%; p = 0.003); 20.8% of relapse cases showed a bacilloscopy index ≥ 4+ in relation to those in t1 (p = 0.034)]; an increase in the number of (17%) cases of relapse with physical disability at level 0 was found, compared to patients evaluated during the diagnosis (58.5% versus 41.5%); an increase (7.5%) in the recurrence of disabilities at level 2 was observed, when compared to t1 (9.4% versus a 9%); and there was a higher prevalence of cases not evaluated for disability between t1 (45.3%) and t2 (22.6%) (p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Cases of relapse characterized the aggravation of the disease, indicated by the increase in the bacilloscopy index and level of physical disability. Attention should be paid to the diagnostic confirmation of relapse using bacilloscopy tests, especially in multibacillary cases, and systematic neurological assessment of all leprosy patients.  a1980-5497