Leprosy Mailing List – January 26, 2018
Ref.: (LML) Mortality in leprosy
From: Arry Pongtiku, Papua, Indonesia
Dear Pieter,
Good morning, I would like to express my appreciation and thanks toJoel Almeida for his letters to make us aware of facts about leprosy and current situation.
1.Leprosy is still neglected. We focus to talk about new cases (transmission), new child cases, disability and stigma. Very little is said about leprosy mortality and economic loss due to leprosy. Leprosy can also kill people. When talking about leprosy, one must think comprehensively, like for example reactions and the cycle of unproductivity and poverty
2.In the field and hospital we found leprosy patients who died because of chronic ENL and cachexia, Dapsone allergy and mismanagement. Leprosy patients suffer from long illness, stigma, stress and denial made them feel hopeless and fragile, and more likely to die. Steroid dependency and self treatment with steroid make them easy to get other infections. Some people died diagnosed as heart attack but having an history of leprosy and the use of steroids and self treatment with steroids. Others suddenly stopped taking steroids: steroid crisis followed by death. Death registration data: Leprosy and HIV---died due to HIV; Leprosy and TB---died to TB; DDS allergy diagnosis --died from severe hepatitis or renal failure; chronic reaction and malaria---died due to malaria. Mortality related to leprosy is still underreported or not reported.
3. I just received a copy of an excellent book " IAL Text book of Leprosy, 2nd Edition,2016. Indian association of leprologists. Page:585 mentioned "Reliable mortality figure because of leprosy are not available".
How do we address mortality in leprosy?
Thank you very much,
Salam,
Arry Pongtiku
Papua-Indonesia
LML - S Deepak, B Naafs, S Noto and P Schreuder
LML blog link: http://leprosymailinglist.blogspot.it/
Contact: Dr Pieter Schreuder << editorlml@gmail.com
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