Epidemiological situation of leprosy in a province in China: a long time to diagnosis and a high rate of deformity
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Epidemiological situation of leprosy in a province in China: a long time to diagnosis and a high rate of deformity Qing-Ping Zhang1†, Ge Li1,2†, Chao Li3* , Zhao-Xing Lin1 and Ping Chen1
Abstract Background: This epidemiological study aimed to analyse both the distribution and characteristics of leprosy in an endemic province in Northwest China. Methods: The medical records of leprosy patients in the province of Shaanxi, China, from 1998 to 2018 were collected from the Chinese Leprosy Management Information System (LEPMIS). Epidemiological variables were analysed in this study. Results: A total of 477 new cases were diagnosed between 1998 and 2018 in this region. The average annual detection rate was 0.070/100,000 population, and the average annual prevalence was 0.305/100,000 population. The mean age of the newly diagnosed patients was 46.7 years, and the ratio of males to females was 2.5:1. There were 399 cases (83.6%) of multibacillary (MB) leprosy. One hundred forty-eight patients (31.0%) had grade 2 disability. The mean diagnosis time for new cases was 62.0 months. Conclusion: This epidemiological study showed that the characteristics of newly diagnosed leprosy cases in our province were a long time to diagnosis and a high rate of deformity, indicating the need for actions focusing on early diagnosis and treatment and strengthening the detection of leprosy in low-prevalence areas. Keywords: Leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, China, Epidemiology
Background Leprosy, which is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is a chronic infectious disease [1] that mainly results in injuries to the skin and peripheral nerves. It is prevalent worldwide, and has been prevalent in China for more than 2000 years. Although there is no vaccine, leprosy treatment is effective, especially when leprosy is diagnosed early. However, the global leprosy prevention and treatment strategy has not undergone major revisions [2], and the focus is still on the early detection of cases and timely regular combined chemotherapy [3]. The * Correspondence: [email protected] † Qing-Ping Zhang and Ge Li contributed equally to this work. 3 Department of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, West Road 169, Xi’an, Changle 710032, Shaanxi Province, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
long disease course, high deformity rate [4], and the cooccurrence other medical problems may result in social issues, such as low quality of life and low happiness index due to discrimination [5]. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, our government has carried out a great deal of public health work [6] and implemented a large number of effective leprosy prevention and control measures [7]. Measures include the detecting of socially active leprosy patients early, administering multidrug therapy (MDT) in a timely manner, terminating transmission, and controlling \ the epidemic to the maximum extent possible [8]. In 2018, the incidence rate of leprosy in Sha
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