A clinico-epidemiological study of leprosy in arid north-west Rajasthan, Jodhpur.

A detailed clinical, bacteriological and histopathological study of 1373 patients of leprosy who sought medical advice at the Department of Skin, STD and Leprosy of Dr. Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur, during 1975-1993 is reported. The disease was observed in 1.54 patients per 1000 cases attending in the skin department out-patients. More than 50% of them had polar type of lepromatous leprosy. The disease was found 2.42 times more often in males than in females and was found mainly in the age group 11-70 years. Family history of leprosy was obtained in 130 (9.5%) of the cases. Lepra reactions were seen in 151 (11%) cases, of which 30 had type 1 reaction (19.2%) and 121 type 2 reaction (80.1%). The majority of leprosy cases (966 or 70.4%) were from Jodhpur district, followed by 109 (7.9%) from Nagaur district and then from, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jalore etc. All cases of leprosy responded well to the WHO regimens of multidrug therapy. The reactional cases were satisfactorily managed with higher doses of clofazimine along with oral prednisolone.