Search

Background: A lot of time and money was needed during the diagnosis and treatment process of leprosy, the delayed leprosy would also impair the labor capability of patients as well, and these put a heavy burden for the leprosy patients. The migrant leprosy patient is a special group and need more concern. Our goal was to assess the economic burden of leprosy on migrant and resident patient populations in Guangdong province, China.Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional survey from February to July of 2016. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to leprosy patients who: (1) had registered in Leprosy Management Information System in China (LEPMIS) by the end of February 2016, (2) had received multiple drug treatment (MDT) drugs at a local leprosy control institution for three consecutive months or had had at least one physical check in the past half year, and (3) were willing to take part in the investigation and give informed written consent. Demographic characteristics, Financial and disease information, and costs before and after leprosy diagnosis were collected and compared using t-test and χ2 test.Results: A total of 254 participants completed the questionnaires, including 168 males and 86 females. Migrants and residents accounted for 33.9% and 66.1% of patients, respectively. Among migrant patients, the median cost before diagnosis was $131.6 (39.2-450.9), the median yearly cost of leprosy treatment after diagnosis was $300.6 (158.4-868.5), and the median yearly cost of leprosy complications was $69.5 (11-178.4). In comparison, among residents the median yearly costs were $152.4 (30.7-770.9) pre-diagnosis, $309.7 (103.2-1016.7) after diagnosis, and $91.9 (32.6-303.1) for leprosy complications. Base on this, we determined that the median yearly total expense after diagnosis amounted to 15% of migrant and 38% of resident patients' annual income.Conclusion: Leprosy places a heavy economic burden on both migrant and resident leprosy patients and governmental policies and programs could substantially alleviate this. Measures to implement more active surveillance and early diagnosis would benefit both populations, while labor protection and medical insurance are urgently needed for migrant patients and easier access to medical services and social aids could substantially decrease the burden of leprosy for resident patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper investigates the relationship between psychological health and quality of life (QOL) of people affected by leprosy (PAL) living in a community in Guangdong province, China.Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to October 2016 in Guangdong province, China. The 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ12) and World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to evaluate the psychological health and QOL of the participants. PAL recruited for this study included those who were (1) registered in LEPMIS by the end of 2015 and living in the community, (2) able to be contacted by investigators, and (3) willing to provide informed written consent for enrolling in the study. Proportions, medians, and ratios were used to describe the demographics of the participants and χ2 test was used to compare groups with different psychological health states. Pearson's correlation coefficient and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between GHQ12 and QOL score.Results: A total of 7230 PAL (5527 males and 1701 females, average age 67.3 ± 13.1 years) living in the community participated in the study. The participants averaged 1.7 ± 2.7 points on the GHQ12. Of these, 23.5% had scores meeting a psychological disorder (≥3 points). The scores for the physical, psychological, and social relationships, and environment dimensions of QOL were 17.2 ± 2.4, 20.6 ± 2.7, 9.7 ± 1.7, and 24.6 ± 4.0, respectively. Gender, age, employment, profession, and the four dimensions of QOL were independent factors associated with psychological health of PAL.Conclusion: In addition to focusing on the factors associated with poor QOL and psychological health amongst PAL, there is an urgent need for stigma reduction, rehabilitation programs and social integration. This may be achieved by engaging community members together with PAL to design a locally tailored intervention program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]