University of São Paulo: Tool created at USP for leprosy diagnosis is awarded by the Ministry of Health
Leprosy is an ancient disease that is still a matter of concern for Brazilian public authorities. After all, the condition caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae is endemic in Brazil, being the second country in the world for new cases. Among the recent strategies created to advance in the diagnosis and health education about the disease is the Leprosy Suspicion Questionnaire , which has just been awarded by the Ministry of Health in the Public Notice for Mapping Successful Experiences in Leprosy in the SUS.
The tool, which can be accessed at this link , was authored by dermatologist and leprosy specialist Marco Andrey Frade, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP) at USP, and student Fred Bernardes Filho, PhD in the Postgraduate Program in Medical Clinic in the unit, with the participation of the team from the National Reference Center in Sanitary Dermatology with Emphasis on Leprosy, Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP (HC-FMRP).
“The instrument was developed, tested and improved in our group and we evaluated that the application increases 15 times the chance of early diagnosis of leprosy, thus accelerating its treatment and avoiding the disabling sequelae of the disease. In other words, it represents an advance in diagnosis, because it also works as an educational tool by taking information about leprosy beyond the cutaneous signs, checking neurological symptoms, such as numbness, tingling, nerve pain and cramps, both in the community and among the patients. health team professionals, explains Frade.
Also according to the doctor, the questionnaire of 14 objective questions can be a simple and economical tool in screening and also contributes to increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease. “Leprosy is neglected and underdiagnosed, that is, professionals are not prepared to think about the hypothesis when the patient has pure and simply tingling, numbness, nerve pain and cramps. Sometimes the patient spends up to 20 years with just these neurological symptoms without thinking about treating for leprosy,” he explains.
The new cases were diagnosed from the application of the tool by community health agents in Jardinópolis, a neighboring city to Ribeirão Preto (SP). The result of the analysis of responses in the community and among the cases that confirmed the diagnoses was published in the article in Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases and points to a possible hidden endemic, which is when a disease is common in a certain region, but epidemiological data do not officially demonstrate the endemic.
Study to track leprosy discovers hidden endemic in a city in the interior of SP
In addition, the professor reveals that the tool was adopted by the Ministry of Health this year and is already used in several regions of the country. “It is important to emphasize that, when diagnosed, the patient starts treatment with antibiotics provided free of charge in health units by the SUS and has a cure for the disease, no longer evolving into disabling conditions and transmitting the disease in the community, interrupting the chain of transmission. of the leprosy bacillus”, he says.
The Leprosy Suspicion Questionnaire: An Effective Instrument for Health Education and Active Search Actions is among the three best ranked among 47 experiences across Brazil and, therefore, won an audiovisual production in documentary format. The award was granted by a committee made up of researchers, members of civil society, health professionals and specialists in the disease at the initiative of the Ministry of Health.
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