Nutritional profile of patients with American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (ATL) in a reference service in cariri cearense
Leishmania; American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis; Nutritional
status; Nutritional Assessment
American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (ATL) is considered one of the
most prevalent and neglected non-contagious diseases caused by protozoa of the genus
Leishmania spp., with a broad spectrum of clinical presentation, involving the skin and/or
mucosa depending on the Leishmania strain and the host immune status. The inflammatory
response developed during the course of the disease releases inflammatory mediators that
interfere with eating processes and can determine changes in the patient's caloric-protein status,
the repercussions of which are not well defined. Aiming to identify the nutritional profile of
patients with ATL, an analytical, cross-sectional and descriptive trial was carried out with
patients diagnosed with ATL treated at the Clínica Escola da Faculdade de Medicina da UFCA,
from January to June 2024. They were assessed regarding their nutritional status based on body
and nutritional assessments standardized by the WHO and food consumption markers from the
ministry of health. It was observed from the data obtained that the study population mostly
demonstrates obesity, waist circumference and accumulation of body fat indicative of possible
risks associated with excess weight, as well as a high consumption of highly processed foods and
low consumption of fresh foods generating losses related to the reduced consumption of
substances essential to the healing and infection control processes such as proteins, vitamins and
minerals.