02540nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001260003600042653002100078100001600099700001900115700001500134700001400149700001400163700001800177700001800195245014100213856008100354300000600435490000700441520183700448022002502285       2022                            d  bSri Lanka Journals Online (JOL)10aGeneral Medicine1 aWeerakoon H1 aBanduwardana H1 aRanawaka R1 aBandara P1 aKumara US1 aAriyarathna N1 aWarnasekara J00aSocio-demographic factors, treatment-seeking behaviours and common clinical presentations of leprosy patients in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka  uhttps://amj.sljol.info/articles/10.4038/amj.v16i1.7669/galley/5976/download/  a60 v163 a<p>Leprosy is eliminated from most of the countries while it remains a problem in Sri Lanka. This study was aimed to describe the epidemiology, associated factors, clinical presentation, and treatment-seeking behaviours of leprosy patients. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among leprosy patients diagnosed between 13th February 2019 to 12th February 2020 at the Dermatology Clinic of the Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura. Each patient was interviewed using questionnaires prepared in the Sinhala language. Questionnaires were used to obtain data on the following variables; epidemiology, associated factors, treatment-seeking behaviour, and clinical aspects of the leprosy patients. The study included 66 leprosy patients. Most of the patients (56%) were males, and most (50%) were in the age range of 30-50 years. Only a minority of the cases were childhood leprosy cases (10.6%). Most of the patients were housewives (26%), and 19% were farmers. More than one-third of patients (41%) had income less than 10,000 LKR per month. More than two-thirds of the patients (68%) had prior knowledge about leprosy, and most of them knew its aetiology before being diagnosed as leprosy patients. Approximately 27% of patients had previous contact with a leprosy patient. More than 50% of these patients were not timely referred for treatment due to delay in seeking medical attention, and they were referred one year after acquiring the disease, and 11(16%) patients warranted repeat treatment. Most patients (74%) had paucibacillary leprosy, and most (47%) presented with hypopigmented skin lesions. Most of the leprosy patients in Anuradhapura share known preventable socio-demographic factors. Therefore, authorities should pay special attention to the prevention of leprosy in specified communities in Sri Lanka.</p>
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