According to the Ministry of Health, in 2014 Brazil had 24,612 new cases of leprosy. The number of individuals living with HIV increased by 11% in Brazil between 2005 and 2013. Leprosy and HIV infection are two chronic infectious diseases that have important geographical overlap in our country. Therefore, co-infection of these two diseases, it became also important in terms of public health. However, recent studies have shown that the overlap of these two conditions does not alter the clinical course (immunological or histological) thereof, and that the incidence of leprosy is not increased in HIV-infected patients. Mycobacterium leprae shows no increase in prevalence in co-infection with HIV, as well as the generalized immunosuppression of AIDS does not affect the manner of presentation of leprosy. This study aims to evaluate the peripheral nerve damage in leprosy patients with HIV / AIDS and co-infected with leprosy / HIV using the evaluation protocol of the Ministry of Health and an additional assessment to check for possible interference related factors will infection HIV neurological evaluation of the co-infected patient leprosy / HIV. It was developed through an analytical cross-sectional study comparing three groups: (1) 20 patients with leprosy; (2) 20 patients with HIV / AIDS and (3) with 18 patients with co-infection leprosy / HIV. The simplified neurological assessment when used in the HIV virus carriers group and of patients with co-infection leprosy / HIV could not identify, when present, nerve damage from the HIV infection or the use of ART in the groups in question, it does not investigate important neuromuscular disorders and characteristics of peripheral neuropathies affecting the patient with HIV / AIDS, but not carrier of leprosy. Evaluation complement the present study was important to detect important changes that could go unnoticed among the three groups. Especially for people with HIV where there doesn’t seem to be a guide that guides the neurological assessment regarding the impairment of the peripheral nervous system in this group. What would enable early detection and subsequent treatment that would enable preventive measures or treatment for the frame found, thus preventing the possible worsening and the installation of after-effects that might reasonably interfere with the welfare bio-psycho-social that individual.
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