Leprosy in the Philippines: a review

Abstract

Leprosy is a skin disease that accounts for serious deformities and disabilities, leading to stigmatization and psychosocial suffering. It is included in "The Neglected Tropical Diseases". Not surprisingly, its management is increasingly reported as a function of Dermatology Departments, with a strong community-orientated bias. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of leprosy is crucial in the control of leprosy. Its management requires a multidisciplinary team of skilled physicians, laboratory staff, and nurses. All members of the health sectors should remain vigilant to combat this battle against leprosy.

Fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de incapacidades em hansení­ase e estratégias preventivas

“…Diagnóstico tardio [18, Diagnóstico precoce [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]2629] Forma clínica multibacilar [19], [24], Educação em saúde [18,22,26,29] Episódios reacionais [19,25, Tratamento da doença [17][18][19]23,26] Dificuldade de acesso à assistência 25] Avaliação neurológica simplificada [14,24] Tratamento inadequado, número de nervos acometidos [27] Facilidade no acesso aos serviços de saúde [18,] Severidade da doença, presença de neurite [18,30] Autocuidado [14,17,24] Autocuidado deficiente, detecção tardia de incapacidades físicas [20] Melhora da assistência nos serviços de saúde [16,23] Falta de acompanhamento e monitoramento dos estados reacionais pós-alta [19] Acompanhamento pós-alta Baixo nível socioeconômico e Superurbanização [21] Quimioprofilaxia em contactantes [16] Falta de conhecimento sobre o processo saúde-doença [26] Maior nível de escolaridade [21] Ausência de profissionais qualificados, escassez de recursos materiais e falta de incentivos governamentais [25] Intervenção Fisioterapêutica [13]…”

Patterns and determinants of treatment completion and default among newly diagnosed multibacillary leprosy patients: A retrospective cohort study

“…Poor treatment adherence among leprosy patients is associated with relapse and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance. (1) It has also been reported to contribute to the plateauing incidence and prevalence of leprosy in the Philippines, (2) and worldwide. (3)(4)(5)(6) A perceived reason for poor treatment adherence is the long duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) multiple drug therapy (MDT) regimen, lasting a year for multibacillary leprosy patients, (7,8) which could even be extended for up to three years.…”

Supplementation of Zinc Sulphate Decrease for Cytokine Levels TNF-Α, IL-1β and IL-6 in Multibacillary Leprosy Patients

“…(2,3) In 2010, World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Southeast Asia was the region with the highest prevalence rate of 120,456 cases per 10,000 population. (4) The number of incidence of leprosy reactions both type 1 and type 2 in the world is quite high. Based on studies in some countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh and India, the number of leprosy cases ranged from 16-56%, 20 -60% for the type 1, whereas 19-37% for the type 2 (ENL).…”