Clinico-epidemiological profile of adult leprosy patients from a referral hospital in Eastern India: A retrospective study
Keywords:
Adult leprosy, Paucibacillary, Multibacillary, Disability, Lepra reactionAbstract
Background The prevalence of leprosy has drastically reduced globally after the introduction of multidrug therapy. However, it continues to be a major public health challenge in India. The present study was conducted to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of adult leprosy patients attending a tertiary care hospital in eastern India over a period of six months. Methods A retrospective record-based study was carried out to collect clinical and demographic data of patients over 18 years of age attending the leprosy clinic of a tertiary care institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from 1st January 2019 to 30th June 2019. The data collected were tabulated and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results 132 adult leprosy patients attended the clinic during the study period. Most of them were between 31-45 years of age, with a predominance of male patients (68.2%) and patients from an urban background (62.9%). A high prevalence (87.1%) of multibacillary leprosy was noted and the commonest type was borderline tuberculoid (66.7%). Prevalence of borderline lepromatous and lepromatous leprosy showed a rising trend above 45 years of age. 22% patients presented with disabilities, with significant predilection for older age groups, multibacillary disease and towards the lepromatous spectrum (P = 0.0042, 0.0424 and < 0.0001 respectively). Lepra reactions were noted in 13.6% patients at presentation. Conclusion Our findings highlight the need for implementation of sustained effective measures for early diagnosis and treatment of leprosy in order to prevent disabilities, while improving awareness to ensure appropriate health seeking behavior.References
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