ABSTRACT
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic to many states in Brazil. To prevent further expansion of the disease, the Brazilian Ministry of Health adopted integrated measures through the Program of Surveillance and Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis (PSCVL), whose actions include the diagnosis and euthanasia of seropositive dogs (the main domestic reservoirs), the use of residual insecticides, environmental management (EM) to control vector population (mainly Lutzomyia longipalpis phlebotomine), rigorous epidemiological surveillance, and health education. The present study was conducted in areas with recent moderate VL transmission to evaluate the efficacy of vector control activities. The systematic capture of phlebotomine was performed for three consecutive days per month, from August 2015 to July 2017. The number of specimens captured was taken as a representative of the monthly insect population. A total of 38,055 phlebotomine specimens were captured and identified at the species level. Lu. longipalpis was consistently found to be the predominant species (97.7%) each month. In the first year of the study, no intervention was performed. In the second year, two cycles of chemical spraying, EM, or a combination of both were performed before and after the rainy season. All interventions, either individually or in combination, reduced the abundance of Lu. longipalpis in the study area.
Subject(s)
Insecticides , Leishmaniasis, Visceral , Psychodidae , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , Dogs , Insect Vectors , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/epidemiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/prevention & control , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinaryABSTRACT
RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar a correlação entre qualidade de vida e diminuição da acuidade visual em idosos portadores catarata senil. Métodos: Estudo transversal e quantitativo com 53 idosos portadores de catarata senil e candidatos à facectomia em uma clínica oftalmológica particular da cidade de Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. Para investigação sociodemográfica, foi utilizado questionário elaborado pelos autores. A investigação acerca da qualidade de vida relacionada à visão foi feita por meio do questionário National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI-VFQ 25). Para análise estatística, aplicou-se o coeficiente de correlação linear de Pearson e Teste de Hipóteses em que a estatística do teste segue distribuição t-Student, com nível de significância de 5% (p < 0,05). Resultados: A maioria dos pacientes entrevistados apresentava idade compreendida entre 70 a 79 anos (n.29 / 54,7%) e era do sexo feminino (n.30 / 56,6%). A relação de dependência entre o escore médio do domínio "Capacidade Visual" com o do domínio "Qualidade de Vida" obteve coeficiente de correlação de Pearson igual a 0,664, estatisticamente significante ao teste t de Student (p < 0,001). Assim, há evidências de que a qualidade de vida e a função visual estariam correlacionadas de forma que quanto maior a capacidade visual, maior seria a qualidade de vida. Conclusão: A correlação entre saúde ocular e capacidade funcional de idosos pode ser obtida pela aplicação do National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI-VFQ 25), gerando dados que revelam a necessidade da garantia de acesso da população idosa à saúde ocular.
ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the correlation between quality of life and decreased visual acuity in elders with senile cataract. Methods: A transversal and quantitative study involving 53 elderly patients with senile cataracts and candidates for cataract surgery in a private ophthalmology clinic in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. For sociodemographic investigation, a questionnaire elaborated by the authors was used. Research on visual-related quality of life was done through the National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI-VFQ 25) questionnaire. For statistical analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and hypothesis testing were applied, in which the test statistic follows a Student's t distribution, with 5% significance level (p < 0,05). Results: The majority of the interviewed patients' ages were comprehended between 70 and 79 years old (n.29 / 54,7%) and were female (n.30 / 56,6%). The correlation between the mean score of the "Visual Capacity" domain and of the "Quality of Life" domain had Pearson's correlation coefficient equal to 0,664, statistically significant in Student's t-test (p < 0,001). Therefore, there are evidences that the quality of life and the visual function are correlated so that the better the visual capacity, the better the quality of life. Conclusion: The correlation between ocular health and functional capacity of the elderly can be obtained by the application the National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI-VFQ 25), generating data that reveals the necessity of guaranteed access to ocular health by the elderly population.
