Leprosy: prevalence and factors associated with seropositivity for anti-NDO-LID antibodies in children under 15 years of age

Abstract

Background: A high prevalence of leprosy among children under 15 years of age indicates the need to implement actions to prevent new cases of the disease. Serological tests have been developed with the aim of helping to control the disease by indicating, through seropositivity, the presence of infection. oBjective: To analyze the prevalence and factors associated with seropositivity rate for anti-NDO-LID antibodies in children under 15 years of age, contacts of leprosy patients. Method: We performed a cross-sectional study with 210 children under 15 years old of age. Of them, 50 were household contacts and 160 were neighborhood contacts living in the municipality of Cuiabá, state of Mato Grosso, in 2016. The data were obtained from interviews and the NDO-LID rapid test during home visits from February to July 2016. For the analysis, we used Poisson regression and prevalence ratio. results: Seropositivity in contacts was 6.2%. Variables associated with seropositive tests included sex (PR = 1.05; 95%

Social school contacts of multibacillary leprosy cases in children living in the hyperendemic region of the Midwest of Brazil

“…The difference between sexes and age should be observed at the planning of educational strategies, mainly aimed at contacts that extend beyond the intra-household contact. 3 , 4 …”

“…It can cause physical deformities, impair their growth and development, and lead to suffering for the leprosy individual and the family. 2 , 3 , 4 …”

“…With such indicators, they remain an aggravating factor for the control of the disease, indicating focuses of active transmission in the community; therefore, contact tracing of multibacillary cases is primarily a priority. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 …”

Detection of anti-M. leprae antibodies in children in leprosy-endemic areas: A systematic review

“…Besides test type and cut-off, also the sample size needs to be taken into consideration when comparing seropositivity data as demonstrated by the differences in seropositivity identified in a very small study in Midwest Brazil (n = 15; 0% positivity) [53], and 4 to 6.9% among 210 contacts in another study from the same area (Table 3) [54].…”

Perfil Epidemiológico E Sociodemográfico Dos Pacientes Com Hanseníase, No Período De 2001 a 2017, Em Vitória Da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil.

“…A urbanização descontrolada e a forte migração populacional de áreas rurais no Brasil, principalmente pelas melhores ofertas de emprego, em particular na região Nordeste, têm sido os principais fatores apontados para o crescimento da hanseníase nessas áreas, que levam a um aumento da polarização econômica, exclusão as oportunidades sociais e materiais, maior ocorrência de assentamentos pobres com maior número de moradores por residência pode estar favorecendo um maior contato físico entre as pessoas. Essas situações, somadas às más condições de vida nos arredores das cidades, favorecerem a continuidade da transmissão da hanseníase nestes locais 16,17,18,19,20,22,39,48,49,50 . Por outro lado, as melhorias nos programas assistenciais , e por tanto, supõe-se que a oferta ou ausência de saneamento básico não tenha sido o fator limítrofe para ocorrência dos focos endêmicos da doença nos bairros visto que, tanto nos bairros localizados na área urbana, que são assistidos com ampla oferta de água e esgoto, quanto naqueles mais ruralizados, com poucas propriedades, domicílios esparsos e discreto decréscimo da população, como no bairro Lagoa das Flores, mostraram grande frequência da doença.…”