Tendência da hanseníase em menores de 15 anos: Uma revisão integrativa da literatura

Introduction: Despite the progress made in the epidemiological scenario of leprosy, a great problem persists, there are numerous reports of cases of leprosy in the age group of less than fifteen years. In view of the above, the present study aims to analyze the tendency of leprosy in children under 15 years of age, through an integrative review of the literature. Methodology: An exploratory study with a qualitative approach was developed. The methodology consisted of bibliographical research to construct an integrative review of the literature. After reading the material in its entirety, this systematic review was composed of 05 scientific articles. Results: Main results show high endemicity of the disease in the pediatric age group, revealing difficulties of the health programs to control the disease, late diagnosis, male prevalence and a larger number of studies performed in the northeast. Conclusions: This study found in the literature data that show declines in the incidence of these cases, however, the number of these records remains high.