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.Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions in Sabah: A 3-year study between 2014 - 2016
Teck Sheng GAN ; Yin Man LIM ; Yui Ping TAN ; Sivaraj A/L RAMAN ; Melinda Kwan See Kee ; Asmah JOHAR
Malaysian Journal of Dermatology 2018;40(June):36-40
Introduction:Cutaneous adverse drug reactions are one of the most common adverse drug reactions. Publicationson clinical correlation between cutaneous presentations and causative agents are limited among thelocal population. This study aims to determine the clinical presentations of cutaneous adverse drugreactions and the causative drugs in the local population.Methods:A retrospective, cross sectional study was conducted from the pharmacy cutaneous adverse drugreaction database from January 2014 to December 2016 in Tawau, Keningau & Queen Elizabeth (KotaKinabalu) Hospitals.Results:A total of 859 cases of cutaneous adverse drug reactions were identified. Out of these, 53.3% (n=458)were females and 46.7% (n=401) were males. The mean age was 36 years old. Majority of patients were20-29 years old (16.6%) followed by 50-59 years old (15.1%). Most of the cases were reported amongthe Chinese community (16.4%), followed by the Malay (15.9%), Dusun (14.7%) and Bajau (14.0%)populations. The most common cutaneous manifestations were urticaria and or angioedema (49%, n=421) and maculopapular rash (39.6%, n=340). Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCAR) constituted2.8% in total. The major causative agent was antibiotic which accounted for 55.1% (n=473), followedby nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 28.1% (n=241) and analgesics, 10.8% (n=93).Conclusion:The types of cutaneous manifestations and causative drugs in Sabah are similar to those reported inother states of the country and abroad. This study provides evidence of local cutaneous adverse drugreaction characteristics in different ethnic group.