Background: Childhood leprosy is an indicator of recent transmission of the disease in the community. This study was undertaken to evaluate the recent trend of childhood leprosy in Western Uttar Pradesh.
Methods: A retrospective record based analysis of all children less than 14 years of age attending the leprosy clinic of the department from April 2014 to March 2017 was done. The various parameters analyzed were age, sex, rural/urban background, subtype of leprosy and reactions at presentation.
Results: There were 58 children with leprosy of which 41 (70.68%) were males and 17 (29.32%) females. 34 (58.62%) cases had multibacillary disease while 24 (41.38%) cases had paucibacillary disease. Familial contacts could be traced in 17 (29.31%) cases. The most common type of leprosy was Borderline lepromatous, seen in 19 (32.76%) cases, followed by Borderline Tuberculoid in 14 (24.14%) cases.
Conclusion: The large proportion of children with multibacillary disease raises a serious concern and indicates the active disease transmission in the community. More concerted efforts are needed to curb this menacing disease
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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