01564nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653001700054653001100071100001400082700001600096700001300112245007900125856003300204520116900237       2012                            d10aleprosy10aEpidemiology10aKuwait1 aElmasry S1 aAl-Hasawi A1 aBadawy E00aClinical and epidemiological study of leprosy cases in Kuwait 2007 - 2011.  uhttps://tinyurl.com/y7djxkko3 a<p>Objective: describe characteristics of leprosy cases in Kuwait during a five-year-period<br />
Methods: a total of 91 new leprosy cases were referred to Infectious diseases hospital in Kuwait from 2007 - 2011 were studied.<br />
Results: of the 91 new leprosy case s, 50 (54.95%) were males and 41 (45.05%) females. The age of the patients ranged between 8 to 84 years with an overall mean of 33.67+10.99 years. Indians constituted just more than half of cases (51.65%), while Kuwaiti patients represented only 3.03% of the cases. We found an association between the occurrence of leprosy reaction and the type of leprosy , Type I &amp; II reaction were more common in multibacillary cases. 90 (98.90%) cases sought medical advice because of their skin lesions with or without neuropathy. The time to diagnosis ranged between 2 weeks to 5 years with an overall mean of 0.63+0.68 years.<br />
conclusion: Although leprosy is non endemic in Kuwait and most cases are imported, healthcare workers should be aware of the magnitude of the disease and its clinical presentation to achieve an early diagnosis and treatment so prevent leprosy spread in Kuwait.</p>