Associação de anticorpos específicos contra o Mycobacterium leprae ao desenvolvimento de incapacidades em hanseníase

Abstract

After twenty-six years of implantation of polychemotherapy for the treatment of leprosy in Brazil, a significant number of cases are still found in health services, a condition that led the health authorities to assume it as a neglected disease. The consequences of this neglect are serious for people affected, since delayed arrival in services often leads to nerve involvement, including disability and deformities. This study aims to assess whether anti-Mycobacterium leprae antibody levels are associated with the development of disabilities in leprosy patients. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical approach, with an association between the amount of disease-specific antibodies and the presence of disabilities. The subjects were enrolled from January 2014 to December 2015. The protocol of this research was submitted to the Ethics Research Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and approved according to the CAAE registration no. 0042.0.051.051-09 and Opinion 280/2012. The patients were enrolled in the Leprosy Control Program, from the dermatology departments of the Onofre Lopes University Hospital and the Giselda Trigueiro State Hospital, both of which were considered a reference for the treatment of the disease in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The results show that the number of new cases is increasing. Of the sample studied, 56% were male and 44% female; Of these, 65.7%, Multibacillary and 34.3%, Paucibacillary. The most affected age range was 51 to 70 years (41%). Of the patients who presented Grade 2 disability, 92.3% were males and, of these, 58.3% were over 60 years old. It has been found that the amount of antibodies specific for the disease is strongly associated with the development of disabilities, especially in males and older patients.