Year: 2020
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Hansen’s disease (HD) is endemic in Brazil, a country with the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths. COVID-19 in persons affected by HD has not been described at population level in this country. Methods We collated numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths among patients who were receiving routine treatment for HD at six centres across Brazil (Belém, Bauru, Brasília, Vitória, Petrolina, Palmas) between 1 st March and 10 th December 2020. Results Of 1,333 HD patients receiving treatment, 70 (5.2%) reported having had COVID-19. Almost all patients (97% (1,296/1,333)) including all but one of the COVID-19 cases were receiving MDT comprising rifampicin (600mg once per month), dapsone (100mg daily), and clofazimine (50 mg daily plus 300 mg once per month). Four patients died, including a patient in their 30’s on MDT who had a severe type 2 HD reaction (erythema nodosum leprosum) and who was taking clofazimine 100mg daily. Conclusions We cannot determine from these preliminary data whether persons affected by Hansen’s disease have a higher or lower risk of COVID-19 and related mortality compared with the general population. We will continue to monitor the effects of COVID-19 in persons affected by and treated for HD and extend this to monitor SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in this group of patients.
Source: medRxiv
Authors: Patrícia D. Deps, Taynah A. R. Repsold, Claudio G. Salgado, Raquel de Carvalho Bouth, Selma Regina Penha Silva Cerqueira, Marisa Simon Brezinscki, Rebeca Ruppert Galarda Baptista Peixoto, Jaison Antonio Barreto, Andrea M. A. Fonseca, Marlene L. S. Peixoto, Seyna Ueno R. Mendes, Rafael Pereira Rabelo Mendes, Pedro Paulo dos Santos Oliveira, Ciro Martins Gomes
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3110729006