Comparison of the clinical manifestations and histopathological results in leprosy: A 5-year retrospective study in a tertiary hospital

Objectives: Leprosy is a chronic disease affecting the skin and peripheral nerve system. Generally, clinical examination for signs of leprosy and a slit skin smear is sufficient to diagnose leprosy, while additional histopathological examination provided a more accurate diagnosis. This study evaluated the concordance of clinical findings and histopathological features of leprosy in an Indonesian tertiary hospital. A retrospective descriptive study with secondary data was conducted on patients who came to the Dermatology and Venereology outpatient clinic from July 2018 to June 2023. Leprosy was assessed clinically by dermatologists and histopathologically by pathology specialists.

Results: A total of 208 new cases of leprosy were reported and 121 biopsies were performed on these new patients. The percentage of agreement regarding classification from clinical examination and histopathological results was 25% for TT, 77% for BT, 75% for BB, 60% for BL, and 85% for LL. The minor disagreement for BT, BB, and BL was below 5%. For the WHO classification, there was 80% agreement between clinical findings and histopathological results in PB cases and 82% agreement in MB cases.

Conclusion: This study observed a high percentage of agreement between clinical examination and histopathological results. Accurate classification of leprosy decreases the burden of the disease.