A Cross sectional study on Quality of Life among Leprosy affected persons in Hyderabad.

Background: Leprosy, a socially stigmatising disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is a chronic infectious disease mainly affecting the skin and the peripheral nerves. Because of the stigma which is due to lack of knowledge regarding the disease transmission and the disfigurement that is caused, there is an impact on the quality of life in various aspects including employment, marriage and social status. Objectives: 1)To assess the quality of life among leprosy affected persons in Hyderabad. 2)To determine the factors influencing the quality of life among the study subjects. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 125 leprosy affected persons in a Rehabilitation Home in Hyderabad during August and September 2023 . A semistructured questionnaire was used for assessing the sociodemographic factors. With informed consent, Quality of Life was assessed using predesigned WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire which has four domains including physical health, psychological, social relationship and environment. Data was entered and analysed using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Epi Info version 7.2.2.6. Results: The mean age of the study population was 48.32+16.16. 56% of them were males and 44% were females. The mean scores of all four domains were computed and it was, physical health domain 53.83+12.35 , psychological domain 43.54+18.72, social relationship domain 55.28+24.9 and environment domain 51.1+12.46.The mean score of various domains among males was better than that of the females. On assessing the overall quality of life it was found that age, marital status, employment and disease duration are influencing the quality of life among leprosy affected persons. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment can avert the deformities and disabilities in such persons and can improve their quality of life. Care after cure is a must in leprosy.