PERFIL DE LESÕES NEURAIS EM PACIENTES ACOMETIDOS PELA HANSENÍASE – REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that affects skin and peripheral nerves, being able to cause deformities and physical disabilities leading to social stigma and suffering. In Brazil according to the World Health Organization in 2016, 25,218 new cases were reported, the Northeast region has a higher coefficient of general detection. More than 1009 new cases were reported in the State of Piauí in 2018. At the time of diagnosis, a neurological assessment is carried out where patients are classified according to the degree of involvement of the peripheral nerves. Objective: To characterize the profile of patients affected by leprosy. Methodology: Literature review study carried out through online searches in the Lilacs, PubMed, EBSCO and Scielo databases, using articles published in the years 2015 to 2019, in Portuguese and English. Results: 794 articles were found, 6 of which were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusion: The study points out that patients already come to the service with some degree of physical disability, due to the late search for treatment of the disease. It is necessary to guide and implement actions related to prevention, diagnosis, pharmacological and multiprofessional treatment as well as the physical rehabilitation of the sequelae caused by early pathology.