BACKGROUND:Leprosy is millenary disease and still persists in several countries.OBJECTIVES:To estimate the incidence of leprosy in the Brazilian states and for the
country in the year 2010; to describe the cases reported according to the
studied variables; to verify the correlation between the overall incidence
and the studied variables.METHODS:Ecological descriptive study, with population data from the 27 states, 2010.
Information about reported cases were collected: gender, race, percentage of
patients younger than 15 years old and living conditions. The analysis was
performed using percentages, means, incidence rates and the Spearman
correlation test.RESULTS:The states of Mato Grosso and Tocantins recorded the highest incidence rates;
Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, the lowest; there was a higher
incidence of leprosy among men; the incidence of leprosy increases
proportionally with the nonwhites among the inhabitants; patients younger
than 15 years; the average number of residents per household; and a decrease
in coverage of water supply and presence of bathrooms.CONCLUSION:The incidence of leprosy is related to factors as gender, race and house
conditions (p<0,05 for all).