Nutritional status of a leprosy patient in a referral hospital: case report / Estado nutricional de um paciente com hanseníase em um hospital de referência: relato de caso

Leprosy is an infectious, communicable, and chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which affects the skin and peripheral nerves. The inflammatory state of leprosy can be influenced by several environmental factors, and the nutritional status is considered one of the modulators of the immune response and a determinant of the risk and prognosis of the disease. Currently, there is little evidence on the relationship between eating habits and such nutritional status. The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between nutritional status and its role in leprosy, and consequently, in leprosy reactions in a hospitalized patient. The research is a case report, where to perform data collection an interview was conducted during daily visits to the patient, in which a semi-structured form and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were applied, and information was collected from the electronic medical record, in the month of October 2021. The nutritional diagnosis indicated malnutrition, with slight loss of muscle mass and adipose tissue. The FFQ showed low food intake in all food groups, with deficiency in macro and micronutrients. Malnutrition affects the innate and adaptive immune response, which ends up compromising the body's defenses to infectious agents. The lack of macro and micronutrients observed through FFQ is associated with increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Therefore, a balanced diet should be composed of foods from all food groups, becoming qualitatively and quantitatively appropriate to the eating habits. An adequate nutritional status becomes a powerful ally to aid in leprosy treatment since a variety of nutrients in balanced quantities combats malnutrition, strengthening the immune system and allowing an improvement in the quality of life of people with the disease.