In a potentially disabling disease like leprosy, the need for prompt diagnosis and start of treatment cannot be over-emphasized. With the advent of massive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies and easy accessibility of free multi drug therapy (MDT), delay in treatment is more dependent on patient initiative and subsequent health seeking habits. To study the factors contributing to delay, a random sample of 86 new untreated leprosy patients presenting to The Leprosy Mission Community Hospital, Naini, Allahabad during 2011 were interviewed in depth with the help of a check list. 61% of patients had disability at first presentation. The most common first symptom was a hypopigmented patch. Mean delay was found to be 25.9 months. Reasons for delay varied from ignorance aboutthe symptoms and signs of the disease, monitoring of symptoms in the hope that they would disappear by themselves and lack of vigilance among local medical practitioners in the lower levels of the health system. The authors discuss the typical sequence of events that contributed to delay at each stage before finally presenting at a referral hospital. It is necessary to outline recommendations to address delay in terms of intense health education campaigns, mass communication strategies and developing a high index of suspicion among primary health care givers.
BT - Indian journal of leprosy C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23236699?dopt=Abstract CN - SAMRAJ 2012 DA - 2012 Apr-Jun DO - 10.3109/01913123.2012.700390 IS - 2 J2 - Indian J Lepr LA - eng N2 -In a potentially disabling disease like leprosy, the need for prompt diagnosis and start of treatment cannot be over-emphasized. With the advent of massive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies and easy accessibility of free multi drug therapy (MDT), delay in treatment is more dependent on patient initiative and subsequent health seeking habits. To study the factors contributing to delay, a random sample of 86 new untreated leprosy patients presenting to The Leprosy Mission Community Hospital, Naini, Allahabad during 2011 were interviewed in depth with the help of a check list. 61% of patients had disability at first presentation. The most common first symptom was a hypopigmented patch. Mean delay was found to be 25.9 months. Reasons for delay varied from ignorance aboutthe symptoms and signs of the disease, monitoring of symptoms in the hope that they would disappear by themselves and lack of vigilance among local medical practitioners in the lower levels of the health system. The authors discuss the typical sequence of events that contributed to delay at each stage before finally presenting at a referral hospital. It is necessary to outline recommendations to address delay in terms of intense health education campaigns, mass communication strategies and developing a high index of suspicion among primary health care givers.
PY - 2012 SP - 123 EP - 9 T2 - Indian journal of leprosy TI - Help-seeking habits of untreated leprosy patients reporting to a referral hospital in Uttar Pradesh, India. UR - http://www.ijl.org.in/april-june2012/1%20-%20A%20Samraj%20(123-129).pdf VL - 84 SN - 0254-9395 ER -