A prospective study of prevalence and types of leprosy with ocular lesions

Abstract

Introduction: Leprosy (Hansen disease) is a chronic infectious disease caused by an intracellular acid-fast bacillus Mycobacterium leprae which apart from skin, nasal mucosa and peripheral nerves also affects the anterior segment of the eye.M.leprae was discovered over a hundred years ago (around 1873) by Armauer Hansen. It is a disease that does not kill the affected individual but cripples. When the threat of blindness is also added to patient’s natural dread of the disease, the condition is indeed terrifying.

Materials and methods: This study comprises of detailed examination of 180 consecutive patients of Hansen's disease. It has been carried out in the Department of Ophthalmology, Mamata General Hospital, Khammam and with the cooperation of department of Dermatology, Mamata General Hospital.Allpatients who were admitted inthe leprosy department with leprosy from 2015 January to December 2016 December were included in this study.All the patients withcongenital abnormalities, inflammatory conditions of the breast and breast carcinomas were excludedfrom the study.

Results: This study includes a total number of 180 patients of leprosy disease who were carefully examined for any evidence of ocular lesion. Most of the patients were males, females accounting for only 21.79%. Among the 180 patients, 60 patients had the evidence of the ocular involvement. It points out to the fact that most of the Hansen's patients develop ocular lesions.

Conclusion: Most of the patients are adults. There is no significant influence of age either on the presence or absence of eye involvement or in the type of Hansen's disease.The commonest type of leprosy is lepromatous leprosy followed by all types of borderline leprosy. The incidence of ocular involvement is very high in these two forms of leprosy disease (86.6%& 63.6%).