title: Disability pattern amongst leprosy cases in an urban area (Calcutta).
abstract: In a retrospective study of 1,264 leprosy cases, registered during 1987-1992, 282 were found to have disabilities giving a disability rate (DR) 22.31% and 150 of them were also found to have deformities, giving a deformity rate 11.9%. Mean disability index (DI) was found to be 1.17. Disability rate (DR) significantly increased with age and the highest rate was 52.75% in lepromatous (L) cases, followed by 27.51% in borderline (N?L) and only 4.53% in nonlepromatous (N) cases. L cases had the highest deformity rate (22.25%) and N cases had the lowest DR (2.23%). DI was highest (1.46) in L, and lowest (0.52) in N cases. Males had significantly higher DR (27.2%) compared to females (13.0%). Deformity in hands (42.55%) was more common than in feet (22.70%). Increasing trend of DI was noticed with increasing duration of disease in L and N?L types. The number of nerves involved was high (4.72) in L cases compared to other types. DI was highest (1.25) in patients engaged in occupations involving hard work.
authors.affiliation: Greater Calcutta Leprosy Treatment & Health Education Scheme GRECALTES.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007918:Leprosy / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014504:Urban Health