Background: Leprosy is a nonfatal, chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, the clinical manifestations of which are largely confined to the skin, peripheral nervous system, upper respiratory tract, eyes, and testes. As per the 2016 statistics, just over 3000 new leprosy cases were detected countrywide. Among them, male and paucibacillary (PB) cases were predominant.Today, with early diagnosis and the institution of appropriate and effective antimicrobial therapy, patients can lead productive lives in the community, and deformities and other visible manifestations can largely be prevented. The objective of the study was to see socio-demographic characteristics of the leprosy patients in northern area of Bangladesh.
Methods: Thisis a cross-sectional study was done on leprosy patients admitted in a hospital (Danish Bangladesh Leprosy Mission Hospital) situated at Nilphamary district in northern zone of Bangladesh during the period of February to July 2018.
Results: A total of 75 patients was studied and found that the mean age of the respondents was 50 years,and male was predominant (76%). The majority of the study population was muslim (87%). Most of the patients were illiterate (44%) and farmers (33%). The majority of respondents had low socioeconomic status in respect to low monthly income (58%), housing status (55% lived in semi-pacca and 40% in kacca house), and large family size (among the respondents 47% had >5 family members and 43% 3-5 members). Most of the patients (85%) had no family history of leprosy. Among the studied patients 47% were suffering from paucibacillary and 53% from the multibacillary disease category.
Conclusion: leprosy is predominant in male patients with low socioeconomic status.