01958nas a2200169   4500000000100000008004100001100001100042700001300053700001000066700001300076700001200089245016800101856006900269300001200338490000700350520143100357       2021                            d1 aSaha S1 aPatra AC1 aRoy S1 aGhosh AP1 aGowda S00aMultifactorial Etiology Contributes to Disabilities in Individuals with Leprosy at Presentation - A Clinical Study in Dermatology Outdoor of a Tertiary Care Centre  uhttp://www.ijl.org.in/2021-apr-jun/5-%20S%20Saha%20(167-177).pdf  a167-1770 v933 aAmong the communicable diseases, leprosy remains the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy and
disabilities in the world. Despite extensive efforts to reduce the disease burden, the disease continues to be
be responsible for stigmatization and rejection in society. It was aimed to study the prevalence,
epidemiological profile and associated factors in the occurrence of such disabilities among leprosy patients at
presentation attending Dermatology outdoor in a tertiary care centre. This study was conducted at
Dermatology outdoor of a tertiary care centre in eastern India. All patients of leprosy (as per inclusion criteria)
from February 2016 to June 2017 were recruited in the study. Results show that among total of 451 patients,
disability was present in 75.83% (342 patients) of which 261 presented with Grade 1 and 81 with grade 2
disability. Interestingly, grade 2 disability appeared significantly earlier (p=0.0212) in patients with a delay in
diagnosis of >12 months than patients in whom the diagnosis was made earlier. We have found that 'patient
delay' (defined as the time between symptom onset and patients consulting a doctor and receiving
appropriate treatment) contributes to disabilities in leprosy. As the study was conducted in a tertiary care
centre, it does not perfectly indicate the status in the community. Community based studies should be carried
out to understand the situation.