02072nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653001700054653001200071653001800083100001400101700002300115700002300138700001700161700002400178700002800202245007300230856007200303490000700375520144600382022001401828       2017                            d10aleprosy10aEpidemiology10aRelapse10aPublic health1 aSena IVDO1 aDa Silva Machado R1 aMendes de Brito BA1 aAraújo TMED1 aFreitas da Silva GR1 aLeite Rangel Andrade EM00aRelapsed Cases Of Leprosy In A Hyperendemic City In Northeast Brazil  uhttp://imedicalsociety.org/ojs/index.php/iam/article/view/2285/21580 v103 a<p>Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease enhanced by unfavorable conditions of housing, sanitation and number of cohabitants, especially in cases of relapses.<br />
<strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the relapsed cases of leprosy from 2001 to 2014 in a Brazilian capital.<br />
<strong>Methods: </strong>This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Teresina, a city considered hyperendemic for leprosy. Association Tests (chi-square test or Fisher's exact test) were carried out.<br />
<strong>Results: </strong>Three hundred and six cases were reported, of which 42.5% were registered in Basic Health Units (BHUs) and 57.5%, in Reference Units (RUs), with predominance of multibacillary forms. There was an association of clinical form of the disease (p &lt; 0.01) and number of affected nerves (p &lt; 0.05) with health units that reported cases. The number of records where the clinical form was ignored was greater in BHUs than in RUs, and the record of the dimorphic form was more frequent in URs.<br />
<strong>Conclusions: </strong>There are similarities with other studies, but it is believed that underreporting of cases take place in the studied city. Thus, greater attention to confirm the diagnosis of relapse is necessary. Training health professionals on epidemiological surveillance is essentially important, as well as the approrpiate conduct in relapsed cases of the disease in the context of public health.</p>
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