Characteristics of pregnant and lactating women with leprosy.

INTRODUCTION The clinical characteristics of women who conceive during leprosy and the association between leprosy and pregnancy are not well known. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 49 pregnant or lactating women diagnosed with leprosy in 2011. RESULTS The patients had a clinical dimorphous form of leprosy (44.9%), no physical incapacity at diagnosis (87.5%), and no complications in either the patient or infant (33.4%). In 36.3% of cases, leprosy symptoms were presented in the last trimester of pregnancy, and in 31.9% of patients were in the first trimester of lactation. CONCLUSIONS The association between leprosy and pregnancy should be routinely investigated, particularly in endemic areas.