02313nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260001000042653001200052653002200064653003100086653002200117100001400139700001600153700002000169700001500189700001200204700001300216245011400229856005200343300001200395490000700407520163100414022001402045       2023                            d  bLepra10aLeprosy10aDelayed Diagnosis10aEpidemiological Monitoring10aNeglected disease1 aTorres ER1 aCardona PNB1 aAlbarracín DGE1 aFastenau A1 aPenna S1 aKasang C00aEpidemiological trends and diagnosis delay for Hansen’s disease in Valle del Cauca – Colombia 2016–2021  uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/94/2/20-22084  a111-1230 v943 a<p><strong>Objective:&nbsp;</strong>The objective of the present study is to describe the epidemiological situation of leprosy during the period 2016–2021, and some aspects related to the delay in diagnosis, in the department of Valle del Cauca-Colombia.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>A descriptive retrospective study was conducted with a population-based quantitative approach, using data from secondary sources of records of the Departmental Health Secretariat, which were examined using SPSS software and analyzed through descriptive statistics, using measures of central tendency and association. The results are presented using tables and frequency graphs.</p>

<p><strong>Results:&nbsp;</strong>During the study period, 256 records were analyzed, of which 52.7% were men, and 89.1% resided in urban areas, with an average age of 54 years. The epidemiological classification indicated that 75.8% were multibacillary and 62.9% had no disability at admission. The delay in diagnosis was on average 21.45 months, and 52.34% had a delay greater than 1 year. People treated in private sector clinics had a significantly lower risk of a delayed diagnosis compared to those attedning public sector health entities (OR = 0.5594, p = 0.0221). No statistically significant relationship was found in the bivariate analysis of the other variables studied.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion:&nbsp;</strong>The deficiency in the diagnostic timeliness between the onset of symptoms and treatment of leprosy continues to be a public health problem and merits an inter- and multi-disciplinary approach to reduce this gap.</p>
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