Late diagnosis of leprosy in patients of the province of Las Tunas, a fifteen-year study

Abstract

Background: leprosy is an important cause of disability. In the country the prevalence rates of leprosy has decreased significantly. In spite of this, new cases are detected every year. In the province of Las Tunas several cases of leprosy have been notified which have been detected belatedly and with a certain degree of disability.Objective: to describe the variables of the new cases of patients with a late diagnosis of leprosy in the province of Las Tunas, from 2003 to 2017.Methods: a descriptive, retrospective study was carried out, with the cases of leprosy belatedly diagnosed at the aforementioned province and during the period herein declared. The universe included the 129 new cases of leprosy and the sample was made up of 45 cases with a late diagnosis. The data were analyzed according to descriptive statistics, expressed in absolute numbers, rates and percentages.Results: during the study period, 34,5 % of the cases were diagnosed belatedly, most of them (84,4 %) because they visited the health institutions spontaneously, more than half of them with degrees I and II of disability. It was more frequent in the male sex (53,3 %) and in the 25 to 59 age group. The multibacillary types represented 61,1 % of the cases.Conclusions: the variables of the new cases of leprosy were described, showing the existence of problems in the early diagnosis of the disease, before the onset of disability.

Keywords

• leprosy
• delayed diagnosis
• leprosy, tuberculoid
• leprosy, lepromatous