Kaur H, Ramesh V
National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.
Lepr Rev. 1994 Dec;65(4):361-75. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19940037.
Leprosy seems to afflict women less commonly than men, but for cultural reasons this difference may be more apparent than real. Unfortunately, the effects are as equally devastating, if not more so, in women than in men. This study, carried out at the Urban Leprosy Centres of Safdarjung Hospital and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi, showed that the impact of stigmata attached to leprosy had more effect on educated women belonging to a higher socioeconomic group than on less fortunate women. Discriminative attitudes were more common in joint than nuclear families. Although many got support from their families, the disease had definite psychological effects. Because of the fear of infecting the family members, women sufferers kept themselves aloof and were constantly worried about divorce. Fear of social ostracism prevented the disclosure of disease to the community. Deformities and disabilities led to a deterioration in their functional capabilities and their psychological state of mind. Pregnancy did not affect regularity of treatment. Many women needed an escort to attend the clinic. Solutions to minimize some problems have been suggested.
麻风病似乎在女性中的发病率低于男性，但由于文化原因，这种差异可能更多是表面的而非实际情况。不幸的是，即便不比男性更严重，其对女性的影响也是同样具有毁灭性的。这项在德里萨夫达容医院和拉姆·马诺哈尔·洛希亚博士医院的城市麻风病中心开展的研究表明，与不幸的女性相比，麻风病带来的污名对社会经济地位较高的受过教育的女性影响更大。歧视性态度在大家庭中比在小家庭中更为常见。尽管许多女性得到了家人的支持，但这种疾病还是产生了一定的心理影响。由于担心传染给家庭成员，患病女性与家人保持距离，并且一直担心会离婚。对社会排斥的恐惧使得她们不敢向社区透露自己的病情。畸形和残疾导致她们的功能能力以及心理状态恶化。怀孕并未影响治疗的规律性。许多女性需要有人陪同才能去诊所看病。文中还提出了一些将某些问题最小化的解决办法。
