Alterações hormonais associadas à apresentação clínica da hanseníase

• Autor(a) principal: Bezerra, Camilla Suzana de Oliveira
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFS
• Texto Completo: https://ri.ufs.br/jspui/handle/riufs/14811
• topic: Hanseníase; Resposta imune; Hormônios; Formas clínicas; Reações hansênicas; Incapacidade física; Leprosy; Immune response; Hormones; Clinical forms; Leprosy reactions; Physical disability

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and is transmitted by air. It infects phagocytic skin cells and Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves. For treatment purposes, WHO classifies the disease as multibacillary (MB) and paucibacillary (PB). Patients may have complications such as leprosy reactions and neurological disabilities. The disease has a wide spectrum of clinical forms associated with the host immune response profile. Some studies show the hormonal influence on the clinical presentation of infectious diseases, and in leprosy hormonal changes were observed, although not analyzed in relation to the clinical presentation of the disease. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of hormones on the clinical presentation of this disease. The study population consisted of patients from the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Sergipe. A questionnaire with clinical data, assessment of the degree of disability and blood collection was applied. Patients were followed to check for leprosy reactions and physical disability. Serum cortisol, ACTH, IGF-1, GH and testosterone concentrations were measured at the beginning of treatment and compared between groups of patients with the different clinical forms and with the operational forms PB and MB of leprosy. It was also analyzed whether or not there was progression to leprosy reactions and physical disability. Testosterone is higher in men with MB forms than in men with PB forms. Patients with leprosy reactions present lower cortisol concentrations than the ones without leprosy reactions. Lower levels of IGF-1 is observed in patients with physical disability, as compared to the ones without it. In conclusion, these hormones can be used as biomarkers of leprosy presentation and clinical evolution