Prevalence of paucibacillary cases of leprosy in Brazil: a 20-year systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the agent Mycobacterium leprae, characterized by its high disabling power. Data points to Brazil being the second country with the highest number of cases in the world, behind only India, representing a major challenge for public health. This work aims to determine the prevalence of paucibacillary (PB) cases in relation to leprosy cases in Brazil, using data published in the literature.

Methods

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis carried out with studies from the last 20 years, being developed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyzes (PRISMA).The search was carried out in the databases: PUBMED, SciELO, LILACS (via VHL)and Science Direct in October 2023, using

SUBMITTER: Brito Goncalves BE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11600445 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature