Frequency of evaluations and its impact on prevention of physical disabilities in leprosy patients during treatment

• Autor(a) principal: Nardi, Susilene Maria Tonelli
• Data de Publicação: 2005
• Outros Autores: Paschoal, Vânia Del’Arco, Zanetta, Dirce Maria Trevisan
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Hansenologia Internationalis (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.saude.sp.gov.br/hansenologia/article/view/36322
• topic: avaliação; hanseníase; prevenção; incapacidades; evaluation; leprosy; prevention; disabilities

Periodical evaluation to prevent physical disabilities is important on follow-up of leprosy patients. This study aimed at comparing the development of the patients’ disabilities examined in two services with different frequencies of evaluation between them. This retrospective cross-historical study observed 30 and 98patients examined in José Bonifácio, SP and São José do Rio Preto, SP, respectively. At least an initial and final evaluation of the treatment was performed during period of January 1994 to December 1999. To evaluate the development of the disabilities, six indexes were elaborated to compare the initial and finalevaluations. In the first evaluation some kind of disability was present in all multibacillary cases, and 86.7% of paucibacillary in José Bonifácio; 75% of multibacillary and 59% of paucibacillary in São José do Rio Preto. The indexes of nose as well as the strength of upper/inferior limbs, showed that these disabilities were lessfrequent, improved or presented no alteration during the treatment in both cities. In São José do Rio Preto, the evolution of disabilities was more satisfactory than in José Bonifácio, according to the general index, eye index and sensitivity of the upper limbs. Regular and adequate evaluation during investigation or monitoring of neural functions can guide professionals to perform actions that can avoid the evolution of impairment caused by the development of neural disorders, mainly in the eyes; the sensitivity of the upper limbs as well as in the general index.