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LEPROSY IN NKHOTAKOTA DISTRICT HOSPITAL
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the profile of leprosy cases at Nkhotakota District Hospital in Central
Region of Malawi.
Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study of all registered cases of leprosy from
records over a nine year period (January 1992 to April 2001)
Setting: Nkhotakota District Hospital-Central Region of Malawi.
Results: In total 526 cases of leprosy were identified from the records. The prevalence
rates gradually increased from 0.998 per 10,000 cases in 1992 to 3.39 cases per 10,000
in 1995. There was however a gradual decline of prevalence rates from 1997/1998 that
had 3.17 cases per 10,000 to 1.3 cases per 10,000 in 2001. 1996 registered 2.34 cases
per 10,000. Fifty seven cases (10.8%) were found with children of the age of 14 or
below and 469 (89.2%) cases were of adults. Paucibacillary leprosy presented with more
cases than multibacillary leprosy (p<0.0000001). There were 80 (15.2%) cases of
multibacillary leprosy compared to 446 (84.8%) cases of paucibacillary leprosy. In
addition more males were affected by multibacillary leprosy than females (p <0.0001)
and females were more affected by paucibacillary leprosy (p<0.01) than males.
Conclusion: The results show that paucibacillary leprosy though minor in Malawi can
become endemic as paucibacillary leprosy is a reflection of leprosy contacts in the
population. We therefore recommend continued epidemiological surveys of leprosy.
Training in leprosy detection should be encouraged so that this disease can be totally
eradicated in Malawi.
Objective: To study the profile of leprosy cases at Nkhotakota District Hospital in Central
Region of Malawi.
Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study of all registered cases of leprosy from
records over a nine year period (January 1992 to April 2001)
Setting: Nkhotakota District Hospital-Central Region of Malawi.
Results: In total 526 cases of leprosy were identified from the records. The prevalence
rates gradually increased from 0.998 per 10,000 cases in 1992 to 3.39 cases per 10,000
in 1995. There was however a gradual decline of prevalence rates from 1997/1998 that
had 3.17 cases per 10,000 to 1.3 cases per 10,000 in 2001. 1996 registered 2.34 cases
per 10,000. Fifty seven cases (10.8%) were found with children of the age of 14 or
below and 469 (89.2%) cases were of adults. Paucibacillary leprosy presented with more
cases than multibacillary leprosy (p<0.0000001). There were 80 (15.2%) cases of
multibacillary leprosy compared to 446 (84.8%) cases of paucibacillary leprosy. In
addition more males were affected by multibacillary leprosy than females (p <0.0001)
and females were more affected by paucibacillary leprosy (p<0.01) than males.
Conclusion: The results show that paucibacillary leprosy though minor in Malawi can
become endemic as paucibacillary leprosy is a reflection of leprosy contacts in the
population. We therefore recommend continued epidemiological surveys of leprosy.
Training in leprosy detection should be encouraged so that this disease can be totally
eradicated in Malawi.
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