Life after leprosy treatment discharge: Physical and social limitations

Abstract

This study has been carried out to verify the association between physical disability, activity limitation and social participation of people who had leprosy. This is an ecological analytical study, carried out from 2003 to 2014 in eleven cities belonging to the Epidemiological Surveillance Group of Taubaté-SP, Brazil. Individuals who had leprosy and were discharged after cure were evaluated through simplified neurological assessment, disability grade, activity limitation and social participation. Two hundred and ten people were assessed, with average age of 55.62 years. Among them, 72.86% individuals reported some health problem and the majority complained of pain. The prevalent operational classification for leprosy was multibacillary (70.48%). 156 individuals (75.29%) presented with physical disability, either in moderate or severe grade, and 60.48% had some level of activity limitation. The most frequent degree of social restriction (19.52%) was mild. There was strong correlation between social participation and activity limitation (r=0.5798; p<0.0001). To conclude, both physical disabilities as well as activity limitations were frequent in these persons. Activity limitation was significantly associated with multibacillary forms, physical disabilities, low educational level and pain. As for decreased social participation, the association was more evident among people who had family income less than three minimum wages, with visible physical damages and presence of severe pain. © Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh, New Delhi.