EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF FORTALEZA

indicators of morbidity and mortality in the human population.

Abstract

Introduction – Leishmaniasis are diseases, caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which exhibit diverse clinical presentations and are transmitted by insects. Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is the most relevant clinical form of those, as it has special potential for lethality. Brazil’s epidemiologic scenario, even though with improvements, continues to be alarming, a fact shown especially in the Northeast region of the country, where Fortaleza can be highlighted in recent national rankings concerning the general risk caused by VL. Methodology – Ecologic and descriptive study developed with VL data from 2013 to 2022, concerning the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. The research contains a description of variables related to new human cases. Data used in this paper are secondary and obtained on Sistema de Informações de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Results – 796 new cases of VL from 2013 to 2022. The majority had the following characteristics: male (74,7%), 40 to 59 years (33,42%), brown (90,3%), and ignored scholarly (62,1%). Most evolved to cure (76,10%) and were not contaminated by HIV (59,80%). Were confirmed by the laboratory 94% of the cases, but 51,38% didn´t realize any laboratory exam, a fact that provokes questions related to SINAN’s reliability. Conclusion – It is essential to conduct more in-depth studies on VL, focusing on the sociodemographic profiles identified. This will help clarify the ongoing issues of significant coinfection rates with HIV, lower cure rates compared to other regions of the country, and the conflicting information provided by SINAN.