[Disability after treatment among leprosy patients in Várzea Grande, State of Mato Grosso].

INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is a major public health concern. Brazil accounts for more than 90% of the cases in the Americas. Around 23% of leprosy patients present some kind of disability after discharge.

METHODS: In the present study, the prevalence of disabilities among 169 patients (94 men and 75 women) with any of the clinical forms of leprosy, in the municipality of Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso, was estimated. They had already completed treatment over previous years. Interviews were conducted and clinical examinations of hand and foot sensitivity using Semmes-Weinstein filaments were carried out.

RESULTS: The prevalence of disabilities among the study sample was 42.6%, among which 10.1% was grade 2. A statistically significant relationship was found between disabilities and multibacillary forms of leprosy. Since the end of the treatment, sensitivity had worsened in 84 patients (50.2%), and this was associated with presence of neural injury at the time of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize the importance of monitoring patients' neural functioning well beyond the time of concluding polychemotherapy, with the aim of preventing the appearance of disabilities among patients who have already been discharged.