BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is classified into five groups based on clinical, histological, microbiological and immunological criteria (Ridley and Jopling Classification) . However, a great variation has been observed in the interpretation of histopathological examination ok skin biopsies and clinical presentation of the disease.
OBJECTIVE: To correlate clinical diagnosis with histopathological diagnosis of leprosy patients in Nepal.
METHODS: A retrospective hospital-based study was conducted among patients with all clinical types of leprosy, classified as per the Ridley-Jopling classification. Skin biopsies were taken from active lesions in all patients and were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain and modified Fite-Ferraco stain for identification of Mycobacterium leprae. The histopathological findings were compared with clinical diagnoses.
RESULTS: A total 156 patients were studied, out of which 84 (53.8\%) males and 72 (46.1\%) females between 8 and 86 years of age. The majority of patients 33 (23.57\%) were in the age group of 21-30 years and least affected was children below 10 years 1(0.007\%).Overall coincidence of clinical and histopathological diagnoses of classification was seen in 115 cases (80.4\%). The maximum correlation (95.2\%) was noted in LL patients (p value 0.000049) followed by BT(89.74\%), TT (73.2\%),BL(72.4\%), BB(64.7\%).
CONCLUSION: Leprosy still continues to be one of the common infectious disease in Nepal and skin biopsy is a useful tool in confirming the clinical diagnosis of leprosy as well as for the therapeutic guide.
}, year = {2011}, journal = {Kathmandu University medical journal (KUMJ)}, volume = {9}, pages = {248-51}, month = {2011 Oct-Dec}, publisher = {Kathmandu University}, address = {Kathmandu}, issn = {1812-2078}, language = {eng}, }