Resumen de Lepra en el anciano.

Jorge Alberto Cortés, Claudia Pilar Botero, Gerzaín Rodríguez

• español

  Objetivos. Evaluar las características clínicasy epidemiológicas de los pacientes con lepramayores de 60 años de edad, con diagnósticohistológico del Instituto Nacional de Salud deColombia, durante un periodo de 13 años.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisiónretrospectiva de los pacientes con lepraque tuvieran una edad mayor de 60 años, cuyasbiopsias fueron enviadas al Instituto Nacionalde Salud para confirmación histológicaentre enero de 1990 y diciembre del 2002.Resultados. Entre enero de 1990 y diciembredel 2002 se confirmó la lepra por histologíaen el Instituto Nacional de Salud en 2.462 pacientes,de los cuales, 433 (17,6%) tenían unaedad mayor de 60 años (rango de 60 a 94).El 69% de los casos correspondió a hombres,con una relación hombre:mujer de 2:1. El 51%de los pacientes pertenecía al polo lepromatosode la enfermedad.

• English

  Objective. To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological features of patients older than 60 years of age, with histologically proven leprosy at the Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia, in a period of 13 years.Materials and methods. A retrospective study was carried out including patients whose biopsy was submittted to the Instituto Nacional de Salud (Bogotá, Colombia) for histological confirmation and whose age were more than 60 year old, between January 1990 and December 2002.Results. Between January 1990 and December 2002, 2,462 patients with leprosy were histologically confirmed at the Instituto Nacional de Salud. 433 (17.6%) were over 60 years of age (range, 60 to 94). 51% of the patientshad a multibacillary leprosy. Clinical features were similar to those reported for other age groups. Median evolution time was less than a year in 48,8% of the patients. A reactional state was found in 10% of the patients. Known leprosy contacts were reported in 7% of the cases. A relapse was diagnosed in 9% of the patients.Discussion. 17.6% of the patients evaluated at the Instituto Nacional de Salud were older than 60 years and presented with multibacillary infection. In this aged population, leprosy could represent a great burden of morbidityand important foci of dissemination if not diagnosed on time.