This study is an epidemiological investigation of the trends of leprosy of the last 10 years by age, sex, place of birth, present address, type of disease, onset age and duration of disease hetween the onset and the treatment. The study was conducted on 766(550males, 216females) out-patients who visited the Chronic Disease Laboratory from January, l965 to December, 1974. The importance of leprosy control in the urban area has been discussed. The conclusions are as follows; 1. Average monthly registered numbers of new patients are 5. 2 in A group of patients and 7. 6 in B group of patient. The ratio of male to female is 2. 7 and 2.4 respectively. By age groups, both male and female, the highest age group is 25~34 years. This age group comprised 41. 3% of the 1965~1969 group (A group) of patients, and 34. 7% of the 1970~1974 group (B group) of patients. In the former group of patients, a significantly higher number of patient were under 35 years and in the latter group of patients, the patients of 35 years or more showed a significant increase. It can be concluded that rate of patients of 35 years of age or more is on the increase. 2. By geographical locations of birth, the number of patients from the southern part of korea where leprosy is widely prevalent was the largest. These comprised 59. 3% in the A group of patients and 16. 0% in the B group of patients, followed by 23. 9% and 23. 7% from the middle part of Korea for those periods. The northern part of Korea showed only 10. 6% and 11. 7% respectively. Meanwhile, by present addresses, the number of patients residing in the northern part was dominantly large, and 80.3% of the A group of patients and 79.8% of the B group of patients were found to be living in the vicinity of Seoul. 3. Among the patients from the northern part, the increase of patients of L-type and B-group was remarkable. From this point of view, leprosy control policy for the neighbouring areas of large cities ia urgent. 4. The onset age shows highest in the age braeket of 15-19years with 24.5% in the A group of patients, 20.0% in the B group of patients. This is folIowed by the age bracket of 20~21 years of age comprising 16.8% in the A group of patients, 18. 4% in the B group of patients. A Comparative study of the peroid from the onset of the disease to the beginning of the treatment, showed that patients of less than 5 years amounted 69. 3% in the A group of patients and 64. 0% in the B group of patients. Those of more than 10 years were 9. 4% in the A group of patients and 14. 7%, in the B group of patients. 5. The results of bacteriological examination showed a tendency to increase in the positive rate with 14.2% in the A group of patients and 28.7% in the B group of patients. This is attributable to the increase of patients of L-type and B-group.
Age of Onset ; Chronic Disease* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Male ; Outpatients ; Parturition ; Residence Characteristics ; Seoul

This survey was to elucidate the bacterial clearance time (BCT) among the patient of L-type and B-group leprosy who had been und.er chernotherapy and foll- ow up with bacterial examination 4 times every year more than 3 years at the Chronic Disease Laboratory of Catholic Medical College. The 99 patients, 53 L-type and 46 B-group, were slected for this study. These patients were classified again into 2 groups: 80 patients with negative bacterial index and 19 patient of posit.ive bacterial index. The patient with negative bacterial index was subdivided into 3 groups by BCT. 1. Rapid decrease group (RA group) BCT<(4years) 2. Standard decrease group (ST group) 4BCT<7 R. Slow decrease group (SL group) 7.
Chronic Disease ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Borderline* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous* ; Prognosis*

The aims of study presented here were to determine dose-dependent effects of UVB irradiation on CHS reaction and comparative effects of VVB on the induction and elicitation in guinea pigs. Pre-induction exposure to either suberythemal or supraerythemal doses of UVB resulted in suppreasion of CHS (53.47% & 57.64%) campared to positive control (79. 86%) However, suberythemal doses of UVB generated a more potent suppression than supraerythemal doses. Pre-elicitation exposure to suberythemal doses of UVB on the elicitation sites and adjacent to elicitation sites resulted in suppressed CHS reactions in both groups (60.4zg & 56.25p,). When the reaction by UVB was eliminated from the cutaneous reaction elicited in guinea pigs sensitized to DNCB, by UVB irradiation on the adjacent to elicitation sites, generated a more potent suppression than that UVB was directly irradiated on the elicitation sites.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Dinitrochlorobenzene* ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea*

Dermatoglyphics has been studied in various diseases including mongolism, ruhella syndrome, congenital heart disease, selected neurologic diseases and other disorders. However, reports of derrnatoglyphic studies in patients with leprosy have not been evcountered a lot. Although Ieprasy is an infectious disease due to the hfycobacterium leprae, the hereditary susceptibility of the host to the organism is proposed as an additional predisposing factor. Thia concept has been proposed to reconcile the low incidence of lisease among large numbers of contacts. Most reports delving into the role of heredity in leprosy have been related ta epidemiological studies. Prasad and Mohamad suggest, on the basis of data related to rnultiple patient families, that the acquisition of leprosy may be determined genetically on the assumption of incomplete dominance of genes; on the other hand, Spickett suggested that if there is any genetic effect, it is but a component af the familial effect. This study of dennatoglyphics in 77 male leprosy patients was undcataken to determine if there might be significance in the analysis of dermal patterns af the hands as related to the hereditary susceptibility of individuals to the disease comparing with those of 234 healthy Korean soldiers. Results are as follows: 1. In the analysis of the total fingertip ridges, there is significant difference (P<0.01) between the leprosy (137.66+4.7) and the control group (152.93+9.50). 2. A aignificant statistical difference between the leprosy and the control group (14.73+2.79) does not exist with respect to the pattern intensity, however that af the borderline group of leprosy (12.00+5.09)is decreased (P<0.025). 3. In the incidence of simian lines, the leprosy group (5.20%) shows lower incidence rate than that of control group (8.98%). 4. As for the a-b ridge count, it is decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the left hand of leprosy group (34.71+0.87) than that of the eontrol group (37.11+0.52), Also there is significant difference(P<0. 05) in the right hands of tuberculoid type of leprosy (34.64+1.38). 5. With respect to the propoetional distance (mm.) between the distal flexion crease of the wrist to the base of the middle finger with the distance (mm.) of the same point of the wrist to the axial triradius, a significant statistical difference between the leprosy and the control group does not exist, but significantly longer distance (mm.) exists in the tuberculoid type of leprosy (P<0.05). 6. No significant fingertip pattern differences are noted between the leprosy and the control group.
Causality ; Communicable Diseases ; Dermatoglyphics* ; Down Syndrome ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Fingers ; Hand ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heredity ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Leprosy* ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Wrist