Abstract

Because of leprosy, a chronic disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, Brazil ranks second in the world for the number of new cases. As a result, the Northeast, Midwest and North regions of the country concentrate the municipalities with hyperendemic parameters, according to the Ministry of Health. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological data on leprosy in Brazil and the Northeast. An integrative bibliographic review was carried out using a retrospective descriptive study with a qualitative-quantitative approach. The Scielo, PubMed, Science Direct and SINAN databases were used, with articles published from 2019 to 2024, in Portuguese and English. Brazil has a high number of cases, with Maranhão and Pernambuco being the states with the highest numbers within the Northeast region. Pharmaceutical care for leprosy has emerged as an important tool for combating the disease and reducing the resulting complications, and this care integrates health education actions, which include permanent education activities for the health team, general health promotion activities, and actions to promote the rational use of medicines, making the pharmacist an obvious professional. Reducing leprosy cases is the role of all professionals, but the participation of pharmacists makes the process safe and effective due to pharmaceutical care and the actions they take with the rational use of medicines.

Keywords

• Leprosy
• Health
• Pharmacy

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Paper information