Perfil epidemiológico dos casos de hanseníase nas diferentes regiões do Brasil no período entre 2018 e 2023

Abstract

Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, primarily affecting the skin and nerves. Brazil, India, and Indonesia account for the majority of global cases. Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of leprosy in Brazil from 2018 to 2023. Methods: This was an ecological, descriptive, and analytical study using data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). Variables analyzed included age group, sex, race, education level, operational classification, clinical form, bacilloscopy, physical disability grade, and incidence—including among children under 15. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess incidence distribution, followed by the Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney test for group comparisons. Results: A total of 178,353 cases were reported. Most patients were aged 40–59 years (39.9%), male (48.4%), of mixed race (61.8%), and had incomplete primary education (48.4%). The multibacillary form was predominant (82.5%), while indeterminate and tuberculoid forms each accounted for 9.8%. Bacilloscopy was positive in 10% of cases and not performed in 77.4%. Regarding physical disability, 48.5% had grade zero, 27% grade I, and 10.2% grade II. The highest number of notifications occurred in 2018 (n=36,772), with an incidence of 17.8/100,000 inhabitants and 4.4/100,000 among those under 15. In 2023, a higher proportion of multibacillary cases was observed. Conclusions: Leprosy remains a public health challenge in Brazil, marked by late diagnosis and gaps in case detection. Strengthening healthcare professional training and improving social conditions are essential.