An epidemiological study of leprosy disability in a leprosy endemic rural population of Pondicherry (south India).

The disability rate in this study was 16.23%. The highest disability rate of 30.76% was found in those aged 45 years and above. Disabilities were found to be more common among male leprosy patients with a disability rate of 21.05% compared to that of 11.45% found among female leprosy patients. None of the indeterminate leprosy patients showed any disabilities, whereas all the neuritic and lepromatous leprosy cases showed disabilities. The disability rate among tuberculoid leprosy patients and borderline leprosy patients were found to be 3.25% and 35% respectively. Persons whose monthly per capita income was less than Rs. 200/- constituted 93.50% of the cases with disabilities. Anaesthesia of the hand was seen in 67.4% of the cases. The mean disability index (DI-2 type) was 0.927.