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Copyright © 2023 Via Medica, ISSN 2450–7873, e-ISSN: 2450–9930
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Fentaw Bialfew Bayuh, Boru Meda General Hospital, Dermatology clinic, Dessie, Ethiopia; e-mail: fentawbi@gmail.com, or momflk@gmail.com
This article is available in open access under Creative Common Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license, allowing to download articles and share them
with others as long as they credit the authors and the publisher, but without permission to change them in any way or use them commercially
The magnitude and associated factors of ocular
lesions/complications among leprosy patients
treated at Boru Meda General Hospital, Ethiopia:
Cross-sectional study design, 2021
Fentaw Bialfew Bayuh
1
, Kassahun Alemu Gelaye
2
, Yeshimebet Ali Dawed
3
, Feleke Tilahun Zewdu
1
,
Abdulkerim Mengistu
4
1
Boru Meda General Hospital, Dessie, Ethiopia
2
Gondar University, Institute of Public Health, Gondar, Ethiopia
3
Wollo University, School of Public Health, Dessie, Ethiopia
4
Amhara Regional Health Bureau, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
ORIGINAL PAPER DOI: 10.5603/OJ.2023.0013
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is one of the world’s oldest diseases, and it is one
of the major blinding diseases. Visual impairment in leprosy patients needs special consideration by dermatologists
and ophthalmologists, not only preventable but also has a severe burden that affects productivity if not managed
early. Nevertheless, little was understood about ocular complications and associated factors among leprosy patients
in low-income countries like Ethiopia, including the study locality.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 423 leprosy
patients at the dermatology clinic at Boru Meda Hospital, Dessie, Ethiopia. e collected data were entered into
EpiData v3.1 and exported to the statistical package for SPSS v.20 for statistical analysis. e odds ratio (OR)
and a 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated to measure the strength of the association between dependent
and independent variables. p ≤ 0.05 was used to determine the level of statistical significance.
RESULT: 419 leprosy patients participated in this study, accounting for a response rate of 99%. e proportion
of ocular complications was found to be 69.9% (95% CI: 65.09–73.9). Age 40 years and above [adjusted odds ratio
(AOR) = 5.2, 95% CI: 3.14–8.83], presence of leprosy reaction (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.12–3.24), and leprosy
disability grading [grade 1 disability (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.35–6.33), grade 2 disability (AOR = 3.0,95% CI:
1.36–7.08) ]were associated with the presence of ocular complication among leprosy patients.
CONCLUSION: Our finding showed that the ocular complication/lesion magnitude was high. Age 40 and above,
the presence of leprea reaction and disability were significant factors associated with developing ocular complications
among leprosy patients. Our results emphasize the need for solid collaboration efforts and commitment to handling
ophthalmologic complications among leprosy patients aged 40 and above with leprosy reactions and disabilities.
KEY WORDS: magnitude; associated factors; leprosy; ocular complication/lesions
Ophthalmol J 2023; Vol. 8, 87–93