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Abstract
Introduction: leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Objective: the study aims to report the follow-up of a patient with leprosy, presenting a positive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Case description: the patient is a 53-year-old male residing in the rural area of São Geraldo da Piedade, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. In 2015, the patient sought care at the Governador Valadares Municipal Central Polyclinic and was referred to the Dr. Alexandre Castelo Branco Reference Center for Endemic Diseases and Special Programs (CREDEN-PES) to initiate treatment. However, he did not adhere to the therapy, citing difficulty accessing the center. In 2017, he returned to CREDEN-PES, where he was examined and collected material for bacilloscopy and qPCR. The bacilloscopy index (BI) result was zero and positive for qPCR. The patient was referred for treatment in his hometown and adhered to two doses of multibacillary multidrug therapy (MB-MDT). In 2021, he sought CREDEN-PES for new evaluations, resulting in BI = 1.5 and decreased plantar sensitivity. He began a unique treatment regimen for leprosy (U-MDT). In 2023, he moved to Paraná State and recently reported his condition: regular health, altered balance, frequent falls, loss of strength in the knees, dry skin, and swelling behind the ear. The positivity of the qPCR reaction prompted the team to follow up with this patient, who initially did not adhere to the treatment. Conclusion: it is believed that using laboratory tools to assist and reinforce the diagnosis and treatment has contributed to more effective leprosy control.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Marcos Daniel Silva Pinheiro, Maisa Pereira Vieira, Daisy Cristina Monteiro dos Santos, Alexandre Castelo Branco, Lorena Bruna Pereira de Oliveira, Lucia Alves de Oliveira Fraga
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