Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice
Published on: March 23, 2014
Temporal trend of leprosy among the elderly in Brazil, 2001 - 2018
Margarida Cristiana Napoleão Rocha1, Mauricio Lisboa Nobre2, Leila Posenato Garcia3
1Postgraduate Program in Public Health University of Brasilia Brasilia Brazil Postgraduate Program in Public Health, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.
Objective:
To describe the temporal trends of leprosy indicators among the elderly in Brazil in 2001 - 2018.
Methods:
This was an ecological time-series study of new leprosy cases in the elderly reported to the Notifiable Diseases Information System. Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression was used to estimate temporal variations.
Results:
There were 687 317 new leprosy cases in Brazil from 2001 - 2018, of which 129 214 (18.8%) were among elderly people. Overall detection rates in the elderly and of new cases with grade-2 disability showed a falling trend, with an annual percent change of -4.6% (95%CI = -5.1 to -4.0) and -3.9% (95%CI = -4.6 to -3.2). New case and new multibacillary case proportions showed an increasing trend, with an annual percent change of 2.9% (95%CI = 2.6 to 3.3) and 1.4% (95%CI = 1.0 to 1.7), respectively. Detection rates for new leprosy cases in elderly people in Brazil are decreasing, but the proportion of new cases and multibacillary cases are trending upwards.
Conclusions:
New cases are shifting to older age groups, and demographic transition and immunosenescence are an influence. Inadequate reduction of grade-2 disability indicates a high risk of physical disability persists. Improved contact tracing and more effective action are needed in this age group.
More Related Videos
09:39DNA Fingerprinting of Mycobacterium leprae Strains Using Variable Number Tandem Repeat VNTR - Fragment Length Analysis FLA
Published on: July 15, 2011
10:46A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Prevalence and Incidence
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...