Quality of Life Among People with Leprosy-Related Disability In Tamil Nadu: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Leprosy is one among the 20 conditions termed as Neglected Tropical Disease. Early diagnosis and treatment with multidrug therapy has made leprosy a curable disease these days. Even after all the im-provements in managing the disease, the quality of life of affected individuals is still uncertain. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among people with leprosy related disability residing in Chengalpattu district using a semi-structured questionnaire to access the quality of life and its association with socio-demographic variables. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 223 study participants. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS v 21. Fishers exact test and chi-square test were employed and statistical significance was set at p <0.05. Results: Out of the 223 participants, 40.4% had poor quality of life score. Class V socio-economic status, less-er duration of disability and positive surgery history for deformity had a significant association with overall quality of life. Conclusion: To conclude the findings of the current study, a huge prevalence of poor quality of life was noted that reflects the affected individual’s deprived physical and mental health status. Early prevention of disabili-ties by rightful intervention at the right time and appropriate self-care should be ensured to improve the quality of life.