Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as ‘calazar’, is a serious chronic disease caused by Leishmania species from Leishmania (Leishmania) donovani complex, which the disease is characterized by abdominal swelling (hepatosplenomegaly) and may evolve to death in extreme cases. In this sense, the aim of our study was to assess the epidemiological profile of the cases found in Montes Claros (Minas Gerais state). A retrospective or cross-sectional study was carried out using secondary data provided by Health Information System (SINAN/HM) of Brazil from January 2010 to February 2020. Our data has shown that VL is an endemic disease in Montes Claros region, with 413 VL cases reported, 62.00% (252) male, average age ± standard deviation (years), and 93.46% (386) lived in Montes Claros city. The presence of comorbidities was observed in 13.70% (54) of the patients and in 7.26% (30). As for the evolution of the disease, 246 (59.56%) were cured, 30 (7.26%) died due to VL. Between 2010 and 2015, Glucantime® stands out, in which 46 (11.13%) patients used the drug, followed by common Amphotericin B 24 (13.48%) and liposomal Amphotericin B 38 (21.34%). In the period between 2016 and 2020, the most prevalent drug was liposomal Amphotericin B, with 71 (29.83%) patients using it, followed by Glucantime® 45 (18.9%). The condition evolved to death. We conclude that Montes Claros is still an endemic area for VL with an increased number of cases over time and a noticeable shift in patient profile towards children and young people. Joint efforts from different areas of scientific knowledge and public health services are needed to improve the effectiveness of visceral leishmaniasis surveillance and control actions. The population can contribute to this process of disease prevention and control, through educational actions in health and the environment.
Highlights
The present work was approved by Ethics Committee on Research with Human being at Plataforma Brasil - Ministry of Health/Brazil, CAAE 69738117.2.0000.5146
Leisure, outdoor sport and housing that predisposes them to greater exposure of the vector, which is suggested to be a possible result from men's occupational activity, leisure and housing that predisposes them to a greater vector exposure
The occurrence of the disease was not related to occupational activity, and this study suggests that the transmission profile in Montes Claros was preferably periurban, which should be taken into account when defining measures to control the disease
Summary
Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is an important disease for public health. It has a high prevalence, incidence and is worldwide distributed with significant mortality rates (Guimarães et al, 2012). Nowdays, according to World Health Organizatio (WHO, 2020) more than 1 billion people live in areas endemic for leishmaniasis and are at risk of infection. An estimated 30,000 new cases of VL occur annually. It is an anthropozoonosis caused by Leishmania species belonging to the Leishmania (Leishmania) donovani complex (Rath et al, 2003)
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