Factors associated with leprosy in children contacts of notified adults in an endemic region of Midwest Brazil

Objectives

To analyze the factors associated with leprosy in children who were intradomiciliary contacts of notified adults with the disease in an endemic municipality in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Method

Case–control study with 204 children under 15 years of age, living in an endemic municipality. Cases (n = 40) were considered as the children with leprosy registered at the National Information System of Notifiable Diseases in 2014 and 2015, who were intradomiciliary contacts of at least one adult diagnosed with the disease in the family, and as a control group (n = 164) of children living within a radius of up to 100 m of the notified cases. Data were obtained through medical file analysis, interviews, and blood samples for anti‐PGL‐I serological test by the ELISA method. The binary logistic regression technique was used, with p ≤ 0.05.

Results

After adjustments, the following were associated with leprosy: age (95% CI: 1.24–9.39, p = 0.018), area of residence (95% CI: 1.11–6.09, p = 0.027), waste disposal (95% CI: 1.91–27.98, p = 0.004), family history of the disease (95% CI: 3.41–22.50, p = 0.000), and time of residence (95% CI: 1.45–7.78, p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Factors associated with the disease indicate greater vulnerability of children aged 8–14 years, associated with living conditions and time of residence, as well as the family history of the disease.