1.Quality of life of leprosy patients in Sabah
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2021;76(1):56-60
Objective: To determine the Dermatology Life Quality Index
(DLQI) among the subtypes of leprosy and to examine
correlation with deformity and lepra reactions.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done at
Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
and two health clinics in Kota Kinabalu between 1st April
2019 and 30th November 2019. A standardised case report
form was formulated to collect the demographic data and
disease profile of the leprosy patients. The quality of life
(QoL) was assessed using Dermatology Life Quality Index
(DLQI) questionnaire.
Results: A total of 54 patients were included with a male to
female ratio of 2.4:1 (38 males and 16 females). The mean
DLQI score was 8.31±6.15. The difference between the
mean DLQI scores among the leprosy subtypes was not
significant. The most affected domain was symptoms and
feeling followed by daily activities and leisure. Twenty-one
patients (38.9%) had facial deformity and they were found to
have significantly higher DLQI score. WHO grade 1 and 2
disability were observed in 37 patients (68.5%) with higher
DLQI score compared to those without any disability. More
than half of patients with MB leprosy (52.2%) developed
lepra reactions but the difference of mean DLQI scores were
not significant.
Conclusions: Leprosy-related disabilities may predispose
patients to develop psychosocial problems which may have
negative impact on QoL. Thus, periodic assessment of QoL
should be incorporated into the management of leprosy
patients
2.Oral Presentation – Discovery Science
John Lim Kien Weng ; Igor Iezhitsa ; Renu Agarwal ; Htet Htet ; Mohammed Irfan Abdul Malick Sahib ; Arun Kumar ; Puneet Agarwal ; Nurul Alimah Abdul Nasir ; Sharon Rebecca Geoffrey ; Norhafiza Razali ; Kar Wei Ng ; Ing Hong Ooi ; Sook Yee Gan
International e-Journal of Science, Medicine and Education 2022;16(Suppl1):1-3