This study was performed to assess the recurrence rate and the factors related with
recurrence of leprosy and to use the data obtained from the present study for the basis
for the prevention of leprosy, among those leprosy patients who were registered and
managed by a Catholic Skin Clinic located in the Taegu metropolitan city between
January of 1960 to October of 1999. We conducted the present study with 1.245 leprosy
patients except 31 who were being treated for active leprosy. Using a structured record
sheet, the data were collected using the chart of the patient, and the collected data were
analyzed using SPSS program ver 9.0 and Fisher’s exact test and χ2-test was
performed.
Among 1,245 subjects, the sex distribution was 690 males(55.4%) and 555 females
(44.6%). The age at the time of initial occurrence of leprosy was the most prevalent in
patients’ teen years with 528 patients(42.3%) followed by in their 20’s with 366 patients
(29.3%). The most prevalent type of leprosy at the initial occurrence of leprosy was
type L with 730 patients(58.6%), and the condition of the bacteria at the time of initial
occurrence of leprosy was negative in 509 patients(40.8%) and positive in 285
patients(22.9%)
The overall recurrence rate was 13.2%. According to gender, males showed the
recurrence rate of 15.7% and females 10.1%, showing a higher recurrence rate in males.
The recurrence rate according to the type of leprosy was 31.6% of Ⅰtype with the most
prevalence. Among those patients who were initially diagnosed with mycobacterium
leprae, 21.1% showed recurrence, and the recurrence rate was significantly higher than
in negative mycobacterium leprae patients with 3.3%. The recurrence rate according to
the age of initial occurrence of leprosy was the highest in those patients who developed
leprosy in their teen years with 17.2%, followed by those who had leprosy in between
20-29 years with 13.4%.
According to the administered medication among those 152 patients who took DDS
alone, showed 90.8% recurrence rate; among 1,009 patients took in DDS and switched to
MDT, 2.5% showed recurrence; and among patients who were treated with MDT, only
1.2% showed recurrence with the lowest level of recurrence rate.
With these results, in the case of DDS treatment cases, in male patients, the positive
mycobacterium leprae patients at the time of initial occurrence of leprosy, the type of
leprosy being Ⅰ, and the age of the initial occurrence of leprosy being low; it is
important to raise the compliance through education and follow-up.
In the future, extensive and in-depth studies are needed to be done in the recurrence
of leprosy to elucidate the factors of recurrence and the plans to prevent recurrence
need to be established from the public health and policy areas
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