02249nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653002200089653001000111653001100121653001100132653001200143653000900155653001600164653001700180100001600197700001400213700001700227700001500244245003800259856005900297300001100356490000700367050003200374520150300406022001401909       1990                            d  c1990 Dec10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aAged, 80 and over10aChild10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aSaudi Arabia1 aIbrahim M A1 aKordy M N1 aAiderous A H1 aBahnassy A00aLeprosy in Saudi Arabia, 1986-89.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1990/v61n4/pdf/v61n4a08.pdf  a379-850 v61  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>This study on leprosy includes information obtained from the Ibn Sina Hospital, a specialized centre established 27 years ago for treatment and management of the disease in Saudi Arabia. A total of 792 patients with leprosy were reported during the period of the study (1986-89). A steady decline was observed in the number of patients reported: 432 (54.55%) were non-Saudi and 360 (45.45%) were Saudi. Patients were reported from a total of 22 different countries. The majority of the non-Saudi patients were from the Yemen, 286 (36.11%). The male-to-female ratio was 3.83:1. The age groups comprised: 133 (16.79%), 51 to 80; 575 (72.60%), 21 to 50; and 84 (10.61%), under 20 years of age. The disease was classified into five categories (Ridley and Jopling classification): 295 (37.25%), lepromatous type; 238 (30.05%), tuberculoid type; 146 (18.43%), borderline-tuberculoid type; 29 (3.66%), borderline type; and 84 (10.61%), borderline-lepromatous type. Although the number of registered patients is decreasing, this trend does not suggest an overall decline in the disease in the country. It is recommended, therefore, that the services being provided to patients with leprosy must be integrated with the nationwide network of the Primary Health Care Centres to implement effective control and prevention, including health education for the general population. Furthermore, mutual agreements must be developed with adjacent countries to study the geographic distribution of the disease.</p>  a0305-7518