02610nas a2200349   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653001500059653001000074653001100084653001100095653001000106653002300116653001200139653000900151653002800160653001500188653001500203653002600218653001300244653002100257653001700278100001300295700001300308700001200321245007100333300001000404490000700414050003200421520179300453022001402246       2005                            d  c2005 Jan-Mar10aAdolescent10aAdult10aFemale10aHumans10aIndia10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMale10aPopulation Surveillance10aPrevalence10aRegistries10aRetrospective Studies10aRifampin10aRural Population10aTime Factors1 aPandey A1 aUddin JM1 aPatel R00aChanging epidemiological pattern of leprosy in rural Chhattisgarh.  a26-370 v77  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>The study presents findings of a retrospective cohort analysis of 2972 new cases registered between 1 January 1987 and 31 December 2001 in the rural field practice area of RLTRI, Raipur. An analysis was carried out with the objective of describing the epidemiological pattern of leprosy in the preceding 15 years. The patients in the study were also followed up prospectively till December 2003 to record any development of relapse or reactions. Data collected were grouped into three time-blocks and analysed at five-yearly intervals. Epidemiological indicators in different periods were also compared. 2972 new cases were included in the analysis; of these, 15.6% were registered in time-block 1, 20.9% in time-block 2 and 63.5 % in time-block 3. The P/D ratio, which was 8.5 in 1986 declined to 6.6 in 1991, 1.3 in 1996 and 0.4 in 2001 after which it rose marginally to 0.8 in December 2002. The proportion of MB cases showed a rise of 15.3% in 1991, 25.1% in 1996 and 28.7% in 2001. The mean age at registration showed a significant decline during different time periods from 35.2 +/- 16.9 in time-block I to 28.9 +/- 15.9 in time-block 3. The proportion of grade II deformity was 3.2% in time-block 1; it rose to 6.3% in time-block 2 and 5.9% in time-block 3. The proportion of cases completing treatment was 28.2% and 17.6% for MB and PB groups respectively in time-block 1, rose to 69.9% and 77.0% in the 2nd, and 74.9% and 81.6% in the 3rd. The proportion of relapse also came down markedly in time-blocks 2 and 3. The median duration of treatment was 28.0 months in time-block 1, came down to 9.0 months in time-block 2 and 7.0 months in time-block 3 following the introduction of MDT. The proportion of child cases and reaction rates showed a rise in time-blocks 2 and 3.</p>  a0254-9395