title: Cojedes: a leprosy hyperendemic state.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease produced by Mycobacterium leprae. In 1997 Venezuela reached the goal of elimination of leprosy as a public health problem (according to the World Health Organization a prevalence rate of ≤ 1/10,000 inhabitants), but five states still had prevalence rates over that goal. For this study we selected Cojedes State, where prevalence rates remain over the elimination goal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the real leprosy situation in high-prevalence areas of Cojedes State.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven communities of Cojedes State were selected because they had the highest historic prevalence, as well as the highest prevalence in the year to be studied (1997).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A rank correlation using Spearman's test comparing historical prevalence rates (1946-1996) and detection rates (1998-2004) gave a statistically significant P < 0.05 value. Diagnosed leprosy cases were as follows: age: 3.2% under 15 years old; sex: male/female rates between 60% and 91.66% males. The highest number of cases were paucibacillary forms: indeterminate leprosy (33.07%) and borderline tuberculoid leprosy (32.28%); tuberculoid leprosy (7.00%); and multibacillary cases (lepromatous leprosy, LL) were only 2.36%. Bacteriologically, 18.52 patients were M. leprae positive. At the moment of diagnosis, 96.6% showed no disabilities, 3.4% showed grade I disabilities, and there were no grade II or III disabilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that several communities in Cojedes State have extremely high leprosy rates.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biomedicina, Ministerio del Poder Popular para Salud, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. nacarida2@yahoo.es
authors.forename: Nacarid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aranzazu
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.forename: Maritza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardenas
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rada
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zerpa
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.forename: Forquis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Jacinto
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Convit
mesh_terms: D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology