ABSTRACT
To aim of the paper was to describe the neurological features of the physical examination in patients with Hansen's disease who were treated in Bogotá, Colombia. We carried out a descriptive study of all patients with a Hansen's disease diagnosis treated at a referral center between 2003-2018. There were 327 eligible electronic health records (EHRs) with a final sample of 282 subjects. Leprosy was most common in males (57.45%), median age at the diagnosis was 54 years, and lesions of the lower limbs were more common (75.1%). The median time from disease onset to consult was 12 months. Most of them were classified as having lepromatous leprosy (39.7%). Pain over the median nerve trunk was the most common manifestation of disease (28%), followed by pain over the radial trunk (22%). Sensitive alterations were more common than motor ones. Specifically, the posterior tibial nerve was affected in nearly half of subjects. Dual impairment was more common in the ulnar nerve (13.8%). Some disability was apparent in 23.8% of subjects; predominantly grade 1 disability. Findings regarding age, leprosy type, and the frequency of individual nerve compromise were consistent with reports from other countries. Nerve trunk thickening was infrequent, which might be a consequence of subjectiveness in the examination and sample differences in sex distribution, degree of disability and time since disease onset. The frequency of morbidity and disability found in this sample, though low when compared with other series, fails to meet public health goals, including those limiting disability in younger subjects.
ABSTRACT
OBJETIVO: Describir algunas características sociodemográficas, clínicas y epidemiológicas de los casos nuevos de lepra y sus convivientes de nueve municipios endémicos y uno no endémico para lepra en Colombia. METODOLOGíA: Se realizó un análisis descriptivo, a partir de la información de los casos nuevos de lepra ingresados al Programa de Control y Eliminación de Lepra de los municipios participantes en el estudio de noviembre de 2002 a octubre de 2003 RESULTADOS: El 62,2 por ciento de los casos presentó la forma multibacilar y el 63 por ciento correspondía al género masculino, la mediana de edad fue de 46.5 años. El 55,6 por ciento de los casos nuevos tenía en el momento del diagnóstico discapacidades grado 1 y 2, mayor al reportado a escala nacional (37,5 por ciento) para el año 2003. Se observó una correlación positiva entre el porcentaje de Necesidades Básicas Insatisfechas por municipio y la incidencia de la enfermedad (r=0,69, p=0,0180). CONCLUSIONES: Nuestros hallazgos resaltan la poca respuesta del Programa de Control de Lepra en algunos municipios para realizar la detección activa y oportuna de los enfermos, además de evidenciar la asociación que históricamente esta enfermedad ha tenido con la pobreza.(AU)
OBJECTIVE: To describe some socio-demographical, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the new cases of leprosy and household reported from 9 endemic and 1 non-endemic towns in Colombia. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive analysis was made from the information of the new leprosy cases included in the leprosy control and elimination program of the participant towns in the study carried out between November 2002 and October 2003. RESULTS: 62.2 % of the cases presented the multibacillary form and 63 % of them were males; the median age was 46.5 years. 55.6 % of the new cases had first or second level impairments at the moment of diagnosis. This percentage is higher than the one reported in 2003 at a nationwide level, 37.5 %. A positive correlation was observed between the Unsatisfied Basic Needs Index (NBI) and the disease incidence by town (r=0.69, p=0.0180). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the little response of the Leprosy Control Program in some towns to carry out the active and timely detection of the diseased people, besides making evide nt the historical relationship that this disease has had with poverty.(AU)
