Comorbidities and Complications in People Admitted for Leprosy in Spain, 1997–2021
Blanca Figueres-Pesudo,
Héctor Pinargote-Celorio,
Isabel Belinchón-Romero,
José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón
Affiliations
Blanca Figueres-Pesudo
Internal Medicine Service, General University Hospital Dr. Balmis, Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
Héctor Pinargote-Celorio
Infectious Disease Unit, Internal Medicine Service, General University Hospital Dr. Balmis, Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
Isabel Belinchón-Romero
Dermatology Service, General University Hospital Dr. Balmis, Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón
Internal Medicine Service, General University Hospital Dr. Balmis, Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
This study aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and trends of these admissions in Spain. This retrospective study drew data from the Hospital Discharge Records Database of the Spanish National Health System. We used the diagnostic codes for leprosy from the International Classification of Diseases, ninth and tenth revisions, to retrieve leprosy admissions from 1997 to 2021. There were 1387 hospitalizations for leprosy The number of annual cases decreased gradually, from 341 cases in 1997–2001 to 232 in 2017–2021 (p p p p p = 0.001), whereas they increased in Madrid, from 5.9% in 1997–2001 to 12.1% in 2017–2021 (p = 0.005). Overall, leprosy admissions in Spain have declined, even in the regions with the highest prevalence. Patients admitted for leprosy have become older and sicker.
