Leprosy in Elderly Patients in an Endemic State of Northern Brazil: A Geo-epidemiological Study

Leprosy remains a major public health concern in northern Brazil, especially in the elderly with severe forms of the disease. This study aimed to describe the distribution of leprosy in elderly patients in an endemic state in northern Brazil. Leprosy cases in the elderly in the state of Pará during a 10 year period, i.e., 2005-2009 and 2010-2014 were analyzed. There were 6,382 registered cases and 5,327 new cases, with a higher proportion of the cases comprising men (2005-2009 = 67.8%; 2010-2014 = 68.7%) and patients aged 60-69 years (2005-2009 = 63.6%; 2010-2014 = 61.4%). A dimorphic clinical form, multibacillary operational classification, lack of physical disability, and entering the health service as a new case owing to spontaneous demand were prevalent in both sexes. Detection rates in the elderly had a homogeneous distribution, with a 2 hyper-endemic pattern (> 40.0 per 100,000 inhabitants) throughout the time period and a tendency decline (R = 0.9014) until the year 2024. Leprosy in the elderly manifested differently over time in the territories of Pará, with high numbers of new cases that might have contributed to maintaining the chain of transmission of the disease.