02027nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001100070653001400081653001200095653002500107653001500132653002600147653001000173100001400183700001200197700001400209700001200223245010500235856004100340300001100381490000700392520133600399022001401735       2005                            d  c2005 Dec10aEmployment10aHumans10aIncidence10aleprosy10aLongitudinal studies10aPhysicians10aSocioeconomic Factors10aSpain1 aAlfonso J1 aVich FA1 aVilata JJ1 aAguas T00aFactors contributing to the decline of leprosy in Spain in the second half of the twentieth century.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v73n4a04.pdf  a258-680 v733 a<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that is considered to be declining, though it still remains prevalent in many parts of the world. A study was made to explore the health and socioeconomic factors that most influenced the trend of the disease in a typical Mediterranean country.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS: </b>An ecological study was conducted, investigating possible social, economic and health factors related to the evolution of leprosy incidence. The time period considered was 50 years--the second half of the twentieth century in Spain.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>The variables showing the strongest correlation to evolution of the incidence of the disease were employment, the number of physicians, and the gross domestic product (GDP), with negative coefficients--while tuberculosis showed a positive coefficient. However, the GDP showed the highest coefficient (0.5). The model that best explained the evolution of leprosy over the last 50 years comprised a 6-year lag period between the socioeconomic factors and the incidence of leprosy--explaining 57% of the data obtained. The annual decrease in leprosy incidence was 1.6%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Socioeconomic development, assessed in terms of the GDP, was the most important factor in explaining the evolution of leprosy incidence.</p>  a0148-916X