Review of ten-yrs leprosy cases in Azerbaijan, Northwest of Iran

Abstract

Leprosy is a rare but important infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. Word health organization suggested a strategy to reduce the prevalence of the disease to less than one per 10000 people. It seems that the leprosy is now in its elimination stage because during a period of ten years only few new cases were found in Iran. We studied 157 new leprosy cases that were referred to and registered in Bababaghi Center, Azerbaijan, Northwest of Iran. A total of 157 new cases, 107 (68%) males and 50 (32%) females were born in Azerbaijan with the peak age of the disease at their fourth decade. The most common form of the disease, especially in male patients, was lepromatous leprosy. Skin problems, especially eyebrow hair loss, constituted the most frequent sign of the disease. The most involved nerve was ulnar nerve. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that is associated with serious morbidity if left untreated. Although, leprosy is a rare disease in Iran it is important for the physicians to be aware when they visit a patient with chronic dermatitis with peripheral nerve involvement.