2013-08-142013-08-142013-04-23GUIMARÃES, Layana de Souza. Incapacidade física em pessoas afetadas pela hanseníase: estudo após alta medicamentosa. 2013. 76 f. Dissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, 2013. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências e Biologia Celular.https://repositorio.ufpa.br/handle/2011/4134Physical disability is the main problem of leprosy. Despite multidrugtherapy (MDT) success in treating leprosy, it is known that about 25%>50% of patients may have some nerve damage and develop physical disabilities, classified by WHO disability grading (DG) as 0 for normal sensation, no visible impairments, 1 for impaired sensation, no visible impairments, or 2 for visible impairments/deformity. From 2004 to 2010 Brazil registered 21,7% of the cases as DG 1, and 7% as DG 2, while in Pará State 15,3% of the patients were diagnosed with DG 1, and 5,1% with DG 2 on the diagnosis of leprosy. In order to investigate physical disabilities in MDT cured patients, we examined the sensory-motor functions of 517 people affected by leprosy reported from 2004 to 2010 in eight hyperendemic municipalities of the Brazilian Amazon Region, correlating our findings with epidemiological and socio-economic features, and comparing with data found at the National Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN). Additionally, 2164 household contacts of leprosy patients were clinically evaluated for signs and symptoms of leprosy. Patients’ home visits were planned with clinical assessment, simplified neurological evaluation and determination of DG, together with an interview about their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. DG 1 was found on 16,2% and DG 2 on 12,4% of the patients evaluated. It was found a statistically significant correlation between multibacillary (MB) forms and DG 1 or 2 (p<0.001); physical disability and males (p<0.001); impairment and age over 40 years-old (p<0.001). More than half (50,5%) of the cases did not have a BCG scar, and this was correlated to higher ages (p<0.001), MB cases (p<0.001), and disability (p<0.005). Finally, although SINAN showed only 5,6% of DG 2, we found 12,4% during our visits. Among the household contacts were diagnosed 181 new case, 127 (70,2%) were MB forms and 17,1% had physical disability, 5,5% DG 2. The occurrence of physical disability was predominant in MB patients, males, >40 years-old and no BCG scar, all important risk factors for developing disability. The differences of DG found in SINAN in contrast to our study suggest worsening of the sensory-motor functions after discharge from MDT, indicating the importance of monitoring these patients for years after finishing MDT treatment. The high rate of detection in this study reflects the low level of evaluation of household contacts in Pará (58,8%), perpetuating the late diagnosis. Clinical findings suggest that there is a high rate of undiagnosed leprosy and subclinical infection in our sample, indicating a need for periodic clinical evaluation.porAcesso AbertoHanseníaseEpidemiologia dos serviços de saúdeIncapacidade físicaPará - EstadoAmazônia brasileiraDissertaçãoCNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::FISIOLOGIA::FISIOLOGIA GERAL::NEUROFISIOLOGIA