Social and environmental risk factors associated with leptospirosis of inpatient and outpatient management, Turbo, Colombia

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a public health problem in the Colombian Uraba area and little is known about the environmental and social conditions of this disease in the region. Objective: To explore some risk factors associated with leptospirosis of inpatient and outpatient management in the municipality of Turbo during the years 2010-2011. Materials and methods: A descriptive study was performed to explore factors related to Leptospira spp. exposure (socio-demographic aspects, habits, housing physical and sanitary conditions, overcrowding, drinking water sources, presence of synanthropic rodents, and living with animals) in patients with leptospirosis that required hospital management in the municipality of Turbo during the years 2010 and 2011. We used standard statistical measures for descriptive studies. Results: We found that the habit of barefoot walking in domestic environments represented 4.27 (1.32 to 13.82) times the risk for leptospirosis present in inpatient management (p=0.012). Exploratory multivariate analysis showed that the presence of wildlife in homes could also be related to cases of inpatient management. This finding represented 4.22 (1.13 to 15.72) times the risk compared with outpatient cases reported as not having this type of animals inside their home (p=0.032). Conclusion: This study suggests a basis for designing and implementing effective interventions, thought from the risk profile its inhabitants are exposed to, in a geographic area that exhibits a dynamic epidemiology of complex leptospirosis context.