02325nas a2200205 4500000000100000008004100001100002200042700002400064700002400088700001600112700001400128700001900142700001700161245012300178856005100301300001200352490000700364520173400371022001402105 2016 d1 aCunha de Souza VT1 aDa Silva Júnior WM1 aRibeiro De Jesus AM1 aOliveira DT1 aRaptis HA1 aDe Freitas PHL1 aSchneiberg S00aIs the WHO disability grading system for leprosy related to the level of functional activity and social participation? uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/87/2/19-1200 a191-2000 v873 a

To investigate the relationship between the WHO disability grading system for leprosy with the limitations to perform daily functional activities and the decrease in social participation in participants with leprosy. Participants with a diagnosis of leprosy were recruited at the dermatology ambulatory clinic of the University Hospital of Sergipe. In order to investigate the association of WHO disability grading system for leprosy with activities of daily living measured with the Screening Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) scale and with the social participation (P-scale), we performed an analysis with the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Spearman coefficient. Thirty-six patients diagnosed with leprosy participated in the study. Most of participants had mild to moderate daily activity limitations and 58% of participants did not have any restriction participation. The findings demonstrated that the WHO grading is associated with the level of activity (P < 0·0001; p = 0·58), but not with the level of participation (P <0·05; p = 0·27). Although the WHO grading system is used in Brazil and worldwide as an epidemiological indicator to explain the burden of leprosy, the results of this study demonstrated that in our sample the WHO grading system was not associated with participation. Participation is a complex construct with the influence of different psychosocial factors. In order to determine social participation damage of infectious diseases such as leprosy, it is necessary to develop new index of classification based on a broader definition of disability. Health professionals should consider the international classification of function and health (ICF) to develop such index.

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