A CROSS-SECTIONAL EVALUATION OF CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL PATTERNS IN LEPROSY IN A TERTIARY HEALTH CARE FACILITY

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium leprae is the causative agent of leprosy, a persistent infectious granulomatous disease. 53.6% of newly reported cases worldwide each year still originate in India. The skin and peripheral nerves are the primary areas affected by leprosy. It can manifest in a variety of clinical and histological ways, contingent upon the host's cellular immunological response. Accurate leprosy diagnosis and type depend on histopathological analysis and the presence of lepra bacilli. Aim: The objective is to evaluate the clinicopathological association between leprosy lesions. Materials and Methods: Twenty skin biopsy specimens from patients with a clinical diagnosis of leprosy were the subject of a three-month cross-sectional investigation at the Pathology Department of Smt.B.K.Shah Medical Institute & Research Institute, Piparia, Vadodara. Clinicohistopathological correlation was performed after skin biopsies were collected, processed, and stained with H&E stain and Fite stain to identify histopathological forms of leprosy. Results: The age range of 41–60 years old accounted for the majority of cases in this study (45%). The ratio of men to women was 1.5:1. The most prevalent kind was borderline tuberculoid leprosy (8 cases, 40%), which was followed by lepromatous leprosy (4 instances, 20%). All instances of lepromatous leprosy (LL), borderline lepromatous leprosy (BL), and histoid leprosy tested positive for Fite. 55% of instances showed clinico-pathological concordance. Conclusion: Fite staining and histopathological analysis are advised in all clinically suspected leprosy cases in order to aid in precise leprosy subtyping and diagnosis.