@article{104216,
  keywords = {Surgery, Foot Ulcer, Wound Healing, Leprosy},
  author = {S Nagisetty  and KR Pilaka  and A Srikantam  and PK Thatoju },
  title = {Current Ulcer Care Practices Among Leprosy Patients - A Systematic Review & Meta Analysis},
  abstract = {<p>Foot ulcers remain a major cause of morbidity among people affected by leprosy. Peripheral neuropathy leads to repeated unnoticed trauma to the feet, resulting in chronic ulceration. While off-loading the affected limb through absolute resting of is the most effective solution for ulcer healing, several other interventions are in practice owing, to the impracticalities associated with the absolute rest. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined such currently practiced interventions and assessed the effectiveness of available interventions for the management of leprosy-related foot ulcers. A comprehensive search identified studies published between 2005 and 2024, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort, cross-sectional, and retrospective studies. Twenty-one studies (n=957) from India, Brazil, Indonesia, and other countries met the inclusion criteria. Ulcer types included trophic, plantar, neuropathic, and chronic non-healing ulcers. Interventions evaluated comprised basic wound care, platelet-based and stem cell therapies, autologous grafts, surgical procedures, low-level laser therapy, topical agents, and traditional therapies. In these studies, the healing rates ranged from 20.4% to 100%, with an overall pooled healing proportion of 67.4% (95% CI: 51.5–81.8). Surgical interventions (100%), topical agents (74.3%), and platelet-based therapies (64.9%) demonstrated higher/ highest healing rates, while traditional therapies showed lower effectiveness (39.0%). The pooled risk ratio from RCTs was 2.12 (95% CI: 1.24–3.63), indicating two times better healing rates in intervention groups. Surgical and topical therapies were most effective, with platelet-based and stem cell therapies showing promising potential. However, rest and mechanical off-loading are essential for ulcer healing and should be integral to all treatment protocols. Findings underscore the need for standardized treatment protocols and robust multicentre trials to optimize ulcer care in leprosy</p>
},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Indian Journal of Leprosy},
  volume = {98},
  pages = {295 - 317},
  month = {03/2026},
  url = {https://www.ijl.org.in/published-articles/30092026095644/8_Review_article_Nagisetty_et_al_July_Sept_2026_print_version.pdf},
  language = {ENG},
}