Sociodemographic profile and degree of disability in leprosy carrier in a reference center in the state of Ceará

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae and which mainly affects skin and peripheral nerves. Regarding leprosy, degrees of disability are used as epidemiological indicators. In this context, the present study aimed to identify the degree of disability of patients with leprosy in the initial diagnosis at a referral center. This is a retrospective descriptive study with a quantitative approach carried out at the National Reference Center for Sanitary Dermatology Dona Libânia, located in Fortaleza / CE. The data were collected by consulting in the medical records of cases diagnosed with leprosy from 2008 to 2012. For the consultation of medical records, a script was developed containing sociodemographic and clinical profile variables, such as: origin, income, sex, education, racial pattern, age group and degree of disability in the initial diagnosis. It was found that leprosy is more common in men, adults, with low education and income, living in large cities. Half of the patients arrived at the referral center with no disability and the other half had degrees of disability 1 and 2. In general, to avoid late diagnosis and treatment and the evolution of disabilities, the most affected population still needs more information about the disease as well as health professionals need more effective participation to perform an initial diagnosis before the patient has any degree of disability.