Hansen's disease and COVID-19 co-infection in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The implications of COVID-19 co-infection in patients under treatment for Hansen's disease (HD, leprosy) remain uncertain. We aimed to describe clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes in patients with HD and COVID-19 in Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional study recruiting adult HD patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 from five HD treatment centers in Brazil between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. At the time of this study, no patient had received COVID-19 vaccine. RESULTS: Of 1377 patients under treatment for HD, 70 (5.1%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 41 (58.6%) had PCR-confirmed COVID-19, comprising 19 men and 22 women, aged 24-67 (median 45) years. HD was multibacillary in 39/41 patients. Eight patients ceased WHO Multi-Drug Therapy for HD, three for lack of drugs, two because of COVID-19, and three for other reasons. Of the 33 who continued treatment, 26 were on the standard regimen and seven an alternative regimen. Seventeen patients were receiving oral prednisone, including nine patients with type 1 reaction, four with type 2 reaction, three with neuritis, and one with rheumatologic disease. Twelve patients were hospitalized for COVID-19, and six patients died, of whom three had hypertension and one also had type 2 diabetes and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 and Hansen's disease co-infection did not appear to change the clinical picture of either disease in this cross-sectional study. The wider impact of the pandemic on persons affected by HD requires follow-up and monitoring.

The influence of leprosy-related clinical and epidemiological variables in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19: A prospective real-world cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Protective effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and clofazimine and dapsone treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have been reported. Patients at risk for leprosy represent an interesting model for assessing the effects of these therapies on the occurrence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed the influence of leprosy-related variables in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a 14-month prospective real-world cohort study in which the main risk factor was 2 previous vaccinations with BCG and the main outcome was COVID-19 detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used. Among the 406 included patients, 113 were diagnosed with leprosy. During follow-up, 69 (16.99%) patients contracted COVID-19. Survival analysis showed that leprosy was associated with COVID-19 (p<0.001), but multivariate analysis showed that only COVID-19-positive household contacts (hazard ratio (HR) = 8.04; 95% CI = 4.93-13.11) and diabetes mellitus (HR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.04-4.06) were significant risk factors for COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Leprosy patients are vulnerable to COVID-19 because they have more frequent contact with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, possibly due to social and economic limitations. Our model showed that the use of corticosteroids, thalidomide, pentoxifylline, clofazimine, or dapsone or BCG vaccination did not affect the occurrence or severity of COVID-19.

Infecção marinha: abordagem na Atenção Primária / Marine infection: approach in Primary Care / Infección marina: enfoque en la Atención Primaria

Introdução: Cidades litorâneas possuem atividades econômicas como a pesca e o turismo que promovem o contato com a água do mar e, consequentemente, a exposição a microrganismos raramente encontrados em outros contextos e muitas vezes de diagnóstico tardio, podendo resultar em morbidade ou morte significativa. Objetivo: Essa revisão da literatura objetiva mostrar a importância da suspeição da infecção marinha na Atenção Primária, sua etiologia, manifestações clínicas, tratamento, complicações e prevenção. Métodos: Foi realizada pesquisa em bases de dados eletrônicos (SciELO, Google Acadêmico, MEDLINE e PubMed). Resultados: Foram encontrados 135 artigos e vinte foram selecionados, referentes aos anos de 2003 a 2018. Observou-se escassez de estudos que avaliam a efetividade de esquemas de antibioticoterapia e sua duração necessária. Além disso, verificou-se a ausência de classificação no Código Internacional de Doenças (CID-10) e Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS), fato que prejudica a notificação e estudos epidemiológicos sobre o assunto. Conclusão: É preciso incluir a infecção marinha no diagnóstico diferencial de casos de ferimentos crônicos de difícil diagnóstico, principalmente se houver histórico de exposição a ambiente marinho. Novos estudos se fazem necessários para avaliação da terapêutica adequada. Outrossim, é fundamental conscientizar a população quanto ao risco de infecção marinha e seus métodos de prevenção.

Introduction: Coastal cities have economic activities such as fishing and tourism that promote contact with sea water and consequent exposure to microorganisms rarely found in other contexts. Too often, late diagnosis can result in significant morbidity or death. Objective: This review of the literature aims to show the importance of the differential diagnosis of marine infection in primary care, its etiology, clinical manifestations, treatment, complications and prevention. Methods: Electronic databases (SciELO, Google Scholar, MEDLINE and PubMed) were searched. Results: 135 articles were found and twenty were selected, referring to the years 2003 to 2018. A shortage of studies evaluating the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy regimens and their necessary duration was observed. In addition, the absence of the International Code of Diseases (ICD-10) and Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS) was observed, which is detrimental to the epidemiological notification and study on the subject. Conclusion: It is necessary to include marine infection in the differential diagnosis of cases of chronic injuries difficult to diagnose, especially if there is a history of exposure to the marine environment. Further studies are needed to evaluate the appropriate therapy. It is also essential to educate the population about the risk of marine infection and methods of prevention.

Introducción: Las ciudades costeras tienen actividades económicas como la pesca y el turismo que promueven el contacto com la agua del mar y consecuentemente la exposición a microorganismos raramente encontrados em otros contextos y muchas veces de diagnóstico tardío, pudiendo resultar em morbilidad o muerte significativa. Objetivo: Esta revisión de la literatura objetiva mostrar la importancia de la sospecha de la infección marina en la atención primaria, su etiología, manifestaciones clínicas, tratamiento, complicaciones y prevención. Método: Se realizo investigación en bases de datos electrónicos (SciELO, Google Académico, MEDLINE y PubMed). Resultados: Se encontraron 135 artículos y veinte fueron seleccionados, referentes a los años de 2003 a 2018. Se observo escasez de estudios que evalúan la efectividad de esquemas de antibioticoterapia y suduración necesaria. Además, se verifico la ausencia de clasificación en el Código Internacional de Enfermedades (CID-10) y Descriptores em Ciencias de La Salud (DeCS), hecho que perjudica la notificación y estudio epidemiológicos sobre el tema. Conclusión: Es necesario incluir la infección marina em el diagnóstico diferencial de casos de lesiones crónicas de difícil diagnóstico, principalmente si hayun historial de exposición al ambiente marino. Los nuevos estudios se hacen necesarios para evaluar la terapéutica adecuada. También es fundamental concientizar a la población encuanto al riesgo de infección marina y sus métodos de prevención.