01818nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042100001400054700001200068700001500080700001400095700001800109700001400127245008500141856007500226300001100301490000700312520127900319022001401598       2020                            d  c01/20201 aSantos Á1 aCosta A1 ade Souza J1 aAlves KAN1 ade Oliveira K1 aPereira Z00aEpidemiological profile and tendency of leprosy in people younger than 15 years.  uhttps://www.scielo.br/pdf/reeusp/v54/en_1980-220X-reeusp-54-e03659.pdf  ae036590 v543 a<p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics and tendency of new leprosy cases in people younger than 15 years in the state of Bahia, Brazil, between 2007 and 2017.</p><p><b>METHOD: </b>Quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study of cases registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System. The sociodemographic variables were statistically analyzed through the G-test and trend classification was analyzed through linear regression, along with the tendency or percentage change.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>The study comprised 2,298 new cases and presented decreasing rate of detection, growing proportion of investigated contacts, and decreasing proportion of healing. Paucibacillary cases are emphasized, with a 63.27% proportion and predominance among females with incomplete primary education and brown race/color living in urban zones. Regarding clinical forms, physical disabilities, and modes of detection, 26.68% were tuberculoid, 73.72% were grade zero, and 36.42% were referral, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>The increased tendency in the proportion of investigated contacts and the decrease in the proportion of healing revealed a need for the health system to improve patient follow-up during treatment against leprosy.</p>  a1980-220X