[The nutritional and dieting profiles of patients diagnosed with leprosy treated in the primary healthcare units of Greater Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil]. / Avaliação nutricional e alimentar de pacientes portadores de hanseníase tratados em unidades de saúde da grande Vitória, Estado do Espírito Santo.

INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated leprosy in relation to the clinical, sociodemographic, nutritional and dietary profiles of patients diagnosed at primary healthcare units in the suburbs of Greater Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, from January to December 2009. METHODS: The study involved 152 male and female patients initiating polychemotherapy treatment. The collected data included sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical and dietary aspects derived from a questionnaire of eating frequency (QEF) that was validated and adapted for Brazilian culture. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to evaluate patient nutritional status. RESULTS: The study showed that: 79 (52%) of the participants were women, average age was 40.4 years-old (± 16.9); 81 (53.3%) were employed; the mean number of years of schooling was 7.1 (± 4.5). Concerning the disease, 79 (52%) of the participants were multibacillary and 73 (48%) paucibacillary. The bacilloscopy index was negative in 125 (82.2%) patients. Excess weight was identified in 11.8% and 5.3% were underweight. Rice and beans were mentioned frequently, 87.3% and 88.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that simple actions, initiated during primary healthcare, can help to improve the treatment of patients with the leprosy.

Avaliação nutricional e alimentar de pacientes portadores de hanseníase tratados em unidades de saúde da grande Vitória, Estado do Espírito Santo / The nutritional and dieting profiles of patients diagnosed with leprosy treated in the primary healthcare units of Greater Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil

INTRODUÇÃO: O presente estudo investigou a hanseníase quanto à apresentação clínica, perfil sociodemográfico, nutricional e alimentar de pacientes diagnosticados nas Unidades de Saúde dos municípios da Grande Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brasil, no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2009. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 152 pacientes de ambos os sexos, em início de tratamento poliquimioterápico. Foram coletados dados sociodemográficos, antropométricos, bioquímicos e de alimentação a partir de um questionário de frequência alimentar (QFA) validado e adaptado. Foi calculado o índice de massa corporal (IMC) para avaliação do estado nutricional. RESULTADOS: O estudo mostrou que: 79 (52 por cento) dos participantes eram do sexo feminino, a média de idade foi de 40,4 anos (± 16,9); 81 (53,3 por cento) possuíam vínculo empregatício; a média de anos de estudo foi de 7,1 (± 4,5). Em relação à doença, 79 (52 por cento) eram multibacilares e 73 (48 por cento) paucibacilares. O índice baciloscópico foi negativo em 125 (82,2 por cento) pacientes. O excesso de peso foi identifcado em 11,8 por cento e 5,3 por cento apresentaram baixo peso. O arroz e o feijão foram os alimentos relatados com maior frequência de consumo, 87,3 por cento e 88,7 por cento respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: O estudo demonstrou que ações simples, iniciadas na atenção primária à saúde, podem auxiliar na melhoria do acompanhamento a portadores de hanseníase.

INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated leprosy in relation to the clinical, sociodemographic, nutritional and dietary profiles of patients diagnosed at primary healthcare units in the suburbs of Greater Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, from January to December 2009. METHODS: The study involved 152 male and female patients initiating polychemotherapy treatment. The collected data included sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical and dietary aspects derived from a questionnaire of eating frequency (QEF) that was validated and adapted for Brazilian culture. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to evaluate patient nutritional status. RESULTS: The study showed that: 79 (52 percent) of the participants were women, average age was 40.4 years-old (±16.9); 81 (53.3 percent) were employed; the mean number of years of schooling was 7.1 (±4.5). Concerning the disease, 79 (52 percent) of the participants were multibacillary and 73 (48 percent) paucibacillary. The bacilloscopy index was negative in 125 (82.2 percent) patients. Excess weight was identified in 11.8 percent and 5.3 percent were underweight. Rice and beans were mentioned frequently, 87.3 percent and 88.7 percent, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that simple actions, initiated during primary healthcare, can help to improve the treatment of patients with the leprosy.

[Nutritional status assessment in leprous hospitalized patients in Argentina]. / Evaluación del estado nutricional de pacientes en un hospital con lepra en Argentina.

INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is a regional problem of public health in the Argentine Republic. It has seen a continuous decrease of the prevalence in the last 10 years, with value is about 0.17/10000 citizen and the detection rate is constant about 0.10/10000 citizen. Even the death rate is low, its importance is given for the physicals, socials, permanents and the progressive disabilities that its produce if there no early diagnostic and a regular and complete treatment. The Dr. Baldomero Sommer National Hospital, that give a complete assistance to the leprosy patients either to the pavilion patients or the ill patients that help oneselves and live in houses with their families and where it is given food assistance to promote and increase their quality of life. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate The nutritional state of the ill patients that help oneselves and live in houses with their families. Analyze the caloric and proteic brought by the institution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It is a transversal and descriptive study. We made a nutritional evaluation of the patients that live in each of the 4 suburb of the hospital, whom has been previously appointed by the coordinator of the zone, with the porpoise of identify the nutritional state of each one of the patients, quantify the nutritional risk, and indicate, adequate and monitories the nutritional support. The diagnostic was realized by the dietician through: anthropometric parameters (weight, height and body mass index), biochemical parameters, according to the clinical history: albumin, cholesterol, urea, hematocrito and associated illness. RESULTS: We evaluated 219 patients of 246, with a middle age of 56.4 years, 62.2% males and 57.8% females. We detected that obesity was the nutritional disorder with mayor prevalence in these population (74.3%) and with mayor incidence in the moderate obesity in males and mayor incidence in severe obesity in females. The prevalence of malnourishment was 3.6% and well-nourished was 23.7%, 27 of the patients (10.9%) did not go to the nutritional evaluation. The 2.8% of the patients did not have an actual laboratory for more than 2 years. In the clinical histories, we found that the dosage of albumin in an average of 4.2 g/dl, and the 2.8% of the patients did not have any value of albumin. The values of hematocrito and urea determinate an adequate brought of proteins in the evaluated population. Inside the nutritional diagnostic we considerate the search of diabetes (present ion the 9.7% of the patients), dislipemia (present ion the 32.8% of the patients, taken a level of 200 mg / dl of cholesterol), chronic renal deficiency (present in the 9.3% of the patients), and arterial hypertension (present in the 33.6% of the patients). CONCLUSIONS: Exist a high prevalence of moderate-severe obesity in the studied population that have no coincidence with the universal literature. These data shows the necessity to adequate the caloric and proteic brought to the patients. The majority of the patients presented Dislipemia and or diabetes and or arterial hypertension. Promote the development of educational programs to better the nutritional state of the risk population, better the quality of life and reduce cardiovascular risks, using an international model that include strategies for the following of a health diet and an increase of physical activity.