RESUMO
A total of 417 suspected cases of hanseniasis reported in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, between November 1, 1974 and December 31, 1977 are analyzed. New cases diagnosed only on clinical grounds by dermatologists and general practitioner are analyzed separately. All cases are submitted to anatomo-pathological test. Cases clinically diagnosed and cases confirmed by histological and clinical findings demonstrated that differences between the two classifications don't exert a significant influence in any of the granulomatous form cases count. A considerable amount of suspected cases of indeterminated form were eliminated during the study either because they reveal a granulomatous histological structure. These findings reduced the proportion between the indeterminated form and the others.