A 10 year retrospective analysis of Hansen's disease patients in an urban leprosy centre of Himachal Pradesh

Background: Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which is a non culturable, slowly multiplying bacillus. The incubation period is variable and may take as long as twenty years for the symptoms to appear. It mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves, but has a wide range of clinical presentations. The disease is associated with deformities and social stigma. Methods: Records of Hansen’s disease patients from January 2007 to December 2016 were taken and analysed retrospectively. A total of 288 patients were registered during this period. Results: Out of 288 registered patients, 78.8% were males and 21.2% were females. Maximum number of patients (62.15%) was in the age group of 20-40 years. Multibacillary patients constituted 86.11% and only13.88% were paucibacillary patients. 66.66% patients had grade 0 deformities, 22.56% had grade 1 deformities and 10.76% had grade 2 deformities. Conclusions: The study recommends that continuous efforts should be made for early detection of cases to prevent spread of disease in the community and to avoid development of deformities.