Leprosy in China: delay in the detection of cases

Title:
Leprosy in China: delay in the detection of cases

Author:
Chen X, Li W, Jiang C, Ye G

Address:
National Center for STD and Leprosy Control, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 12 Jiangwangmiao Road, Nanjing 210042, P. R. China

Source:
Annals Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 2000 (94): 181-188

Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To study the delay at detection of leprosy and its influencing factors in leprosy patients in china. METHOD: Based on the national annual registration of leprosy patients in China, 27,928 cases of leprosy detected by the health authorities between 1984 and 1998 were collected for the analysis. RESULTS: The delay between onset of symptoms (estimated from each case's recall) and confirmed diagnosis was < or = 2 years for 55.1% of the new patients but > 10 years for 7.0%, with a median value, overall, of 22.0 months. The median delay was longer: (1) for the multibacillary cases than the paucibacillary; (2) among farmers than among factory workers; (3) among some nationalities than among others (being longest among the Tu and shortest among the Wei); and (4) for some methods of case-detection than for others. Over the study period, the mean delay decreased with time. The delay was greatest in the areas where leprosy was endemic and/or where access to health services was poor. The later the cases were detected the more likely they were to show disability. CONCLUSION: Leprosy cases are still going undetected in China, although, over the last 14 years, case-finding has significantly improved. Age, occupation, nationality, leprosy type and detection method all appear to affect the delay.

Key words: Leprosy; Delay at detection; China

Language: English