Hanseníase e a nutrição: uma revisão da literatura

The present study is a review of literature about nutrition and leprosy, showing how important nutritional status of leper are in order to improve the treatment response. The bibliographic search on leprosy and nutrition was conducted using databases such as Medline, LILACS, SciELO, PubMed and Bireme in technical books and articles published from 2009 to 2013. The findings of the study highlight the importance of assessing the nutritional status and the food habits of patients with leprosy. Those patients have nutritional deficits in relation to anthropometric data and to nutrient intake which increase their vulnerability for low immunity and, consequently, the aggravation of disease. There is a need for new studies in the area because of the lack of information about this subject. The implementation of nutritional re-education programs, nutrition education and healthy life habits related to health promotion for patients with leprosy are necessary.