The extent of leprosy-related disabilities in Istanbul Leprosy Hospital, Turkey

Abstract

This study was carried out between January and December 1992 at the Istanbul Leprosy Hospital. Seven hundred and eleven leprosy patients were evaluated according to their age, gender and type of disease and disability according to the WHO disability grading system (1980). There were 527 males (74.2%) and 184 females (25.8%) in the group. The average age was 50.0 +/- 13.5 years and the average duration of disease was 25.9 +/- 13.2 years. Six hundred and seventy-eight patients (95.4%) were in borderline (BL) and lepromatous (LL) leprosy.