International Journal of Tropical Medicine
ISSN: Online 1818-779XISSN: Print 1816-3319
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Abstract
Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is the oldest infection known to mankind, but still remains a major public health concern. Early and accurate diagnosis of leprosy is necessary which can easily be made by slit skin smear (SSS) microscopy that helps not only in classification of leprosy into paucibacillary and multibacillary but also has role in deciding the treatment regimen and monitoring response to treatment. A retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from June 2022 to June 2024 to analyze epidemiological profile of leprosy patients. All the clinically suspected cases of leprosy who had attended the dermatology OPD irrespective of age and gender, were included in the study. SSS were prepared from >3 sites and stained with modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain and bacteriological index (BI) and morphological index (MI) were evaluated. Out of 191 clinically suspected cases of leprosy 41 (21.4%) were found to be positive for lepra bacilli in SSS examination. Among 41 smear positive cases, 12 (29.2%) cases showed BI 6+ while 5 (12.1%) cases had BI 1+. We have observed, MI >50% in 18 (43.9%) cases and MI <50% in 23 (56.1%) cases. Even after elimination in 2005, leprosy is still a significant public health problem in India. Early and accurate diagnosis of leprosy cases is important for initiation of appropriate treatment as well as implementation of effective preventive strategies.
How to cite this article:
Haniya Jafar, Saumya Agarwal, Sahrish Rahman, Ved Prakash and Ankur Garg. Epidemiological Profile of Leprosy in Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Western Uttar Pradesh.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/10.36478/makijtm.2024.4.71.74
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1816-3319/10.36478/makijtm.2024.4.71.74