Diagnosing and treating leprosy in a non-endemic setting in a national centre, London, United Kingdom 1995-2018.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Leprosy is rare in the United Kingdom (UK), but migration from endemic countries results in new cases being diagnosed each year. We documented the clinical presentation of leprosy in a non-endemic setting.

Methods

Demographic and clinical data on all new cases of leprosy managed in the Leprosy Clinic at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London between 1995 and 2018 were analysed.

Results

157 individuals with a median age of 34 (range 13-85) years were included. 67.5% were male. Patients came from 34 different countries and most contracted leprosy before migrating to the UK. Eighty-two (51.6%) acquired the infection in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. 30 patients (19.1%) acquired leprosy in Africa, including 11 from Nigeria. Seven patients

SUBMITTER: Lockwood DN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9624405 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature