Patients affected by Leptospirosis: an epidemiological profile from January 2020 to June 2024 in southern Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with a predilection for tropical and subtropical areas. It presents a spectrum of clinical manifestations that ranges from a nonspecific, mild condition to the severe Weil's Syndrome. In Brazil, there are approximately 4,000 cases per year, which are mainly related to the rainy periods and occupational exposures. In view of the largest flood in the history of the southern region of the country, with more than two million people homeless, in a scenario of possible mass exposure to the disease, it was decided to evaluate the last 5 years of Leptospirosis cases and to raise the epidemiological profile of affected patients, in addition to comparing it to the incidence of the disease in the first half of 2024.

Objective: To highlight the epidemiological profile of patients affected by Leptospirosis in the southern region of the country in the period between 2020 and June 2024 and to highlight the particularities of the first half of 2024.

Methodology: A retrospective analytical study was carried out, based on a publicly accessible database: DATASUS-SINAN, covering all cases registered in the period from 2020 to June 2024 for the southern region. The variables collected included sex, age, work-related illness, evolution of cases and the federative unit of notification.

Conclusion: Among the patients affected by Leptospirosis in the region and period, there was a predominance of males, between 40 and 59 years of age. The evolution to cure occurred in most cases (67.92%) and deaths related to the disease corresponded to 1.2% of the reported cases. Occupational exposure was related to the disease in 20.84% ​​of the cases. The month of May 2024 alone presented the highest number of new cases among the entire period analyzed (2020-2024), with 196 reported cases. Further studies need to be carried out in order to establish measures of direct association between the events, however the numbers obtained point to a significant increase in the number of Leptospirosis cases due to the extreme rain experienced in the southern region of Brazil.