Adherence to and discontinuation of leprosy treatment in the municipality of pilar, alagoas (2021–2025): Clinical-epidemiological profile and outcome-related characteristics according to sinan/datasus data

Leprosy remains an important public health problem, particularly in settings characterized by social vulnerability, delayed diagnosis, and challenges in treatment continuity. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of leprosy cases among residents of Pilar, Alagoas, from 2021 to 2025, describing patterns of treatment completion, cure, and treatment abandonment, as well as the sociodemographic, clinical, and operational characteristics related to these outcomes. This was an epidemiological, observational, retrospective, descriptive, and quantitative study based on secondary data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), made available through TABNET/DATASUS. A total of 32 new cases were analyzed. The highest numbers of diagnoses occurred in 2022 and 2023. The cases were characterized by a predominance of individuals identified as brown (pardo), a higher concentration among adults, a high frequency of low educational attainment, and higher proportions of multibacillary cases and the borderline clinical form. Most cases were detected through spontaneous presentation or referral. Regarding treatment outcomes, 25 cases were classified as cured, three as treatment abandonment, and four had no recorded type of discharge. Among the evaluable cohorts, the 2023 and 2024 cohorts achieved 100% cure, whereas the 2025 cohort showed a lower cure proportion and a higher proportion of treatment abandonment. The findings indicate that, despite the predominance of cure, challenges remain in early diagnosis, treatment follow-up, contact surveillance, and data quality.