Leprosy Profiles In Post Elimination Stage: Experience At A Tertiary Care Hospital
Keywords:
AFB, Leprosy, Smear-positive casesAbstract
Background: Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae mainly affecting skin, peripheral nerves. Leprosy has been statistically eliminated from India since 2006, still wide variations in prevalence rates continue to exist across the states and union territories in the country. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the pattern, prevalence and trends of smear positive leprosy cases in a tertiary care hospital in Akola, Maharashtra. Methods: This is a retrospective record based study conducted over a period of 25 months commencing from January 2016 to February 2018. All the patients suspected of leprosy were referred to the Department of Microbiology, GMC Akola, where cases were confirmed by slit skin smear examination. From OPD records details on age, type and duration of disease, deformity status were noted. Results: Of total 502 clinically suspected cases174 were diagnosed as smear positive for acid fast bacilli in which males outnumbered the females. Smear positivity was highest in age group 21-40 years. Multibacillary and paucibacillary cases were 102(58.62%) and 72(41.37%) respectively. 67(38.50%) cases developed grade II deformities. Reactional episodes with or without neuritis occurred in 84 patients (48.27%) of which 56 (32.18%) developed Type 1 reaction and 28 (16.09%) developed Type II reaction with lesions of erythema nodosumleprosum (ENL). Interpretation &Conclusion: The study shows that despite statistical elimination, leprosy still continues to be a challenge to health worldwide. Approaches like destigmatizing the disease, family councelling, integrating leprosy care into general health care systems, developing newer diagnostic & epidemiologic tools, chemoprophylactic regimens and vaccines are needed to develop an eradication strategy which can reduce the burden of leprosy in India.
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