[Leprosy. Comparative study of old and new patients]

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Dermatology
• Public Health

Background:

• Leprosy (Hansen's disease) was a significant public health issue in mainland Portugal.
• Incidence and prevalence rates have shown a progressive and significant decrease in recent years.
• The study investigates potential changes in clinical manifestations of leprosy in a context of declining endemicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if there have been significant changes in the clinical manifestations of new leprosy cases.
• To compare clinical and epidemiological data between leprosy patients diagnosed before and after 1990.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of 18 leprosy patients (diagnosed before and after 1990) at Coimbra University Hospital.
• Data collected included age, sex, origin, age at onset, clinical classification (Ridley and Jopling), and presence of incapacity.
• Student's t-test was used to analyze statistical significance of differences between patient groups.

Main Results:

• New leprosy cases were diagnosed significantly later in life (average 11 years difference) compared to older cases.
• Nearly half of new cases were potentially imported from Brazil, contrasting with the autochthonous origin of older cases.
• Multibacillary forms predominated (89%), and the frequency of handicaps was similar across both groups.

Conclusions:

• Clinical and epidemiological manifestations of leprosy appear to be changing significantly in Portugal.
• The findings suggest an increasing role of imported leprosy cases due to immigration.
• This trend, similar to other infectious diseases, could theoretically pose a risk for leprosy resurgence.