Objective:To determine the clinical features predicting erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL) in a non endemic leprosy area.Methods:Twenty newly diagnosed patients with MBL attending the skin clinic,Sarawak General Hospital ...Objective:To determine the clinical features predicting erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL) in a non endemic leprosy area.Methods:Twenty newly diagnosed patients with MBL attending the skin clinic,Sarawak General Hospital from 1992 to 2007 were analyzed.They were divided into 2 groups,one with ENL and one without. Analysis of the presenting clinical features was done to determine the risk factors for ENL.Chi square and student t test was used for statistical analysis.Level of significance was set at 0.05.Results:ENL was present in 40%patients,all with lepromatous leprosy(LL).Clinical features that were seen more frequently in patients developing ENL include earlobe thickening(100%cf.25%,P =0.00),loss of the lateral third of the eyebrows(75%cf.16.7%,P=0.02) and mean bacteriology index(BI)(5.1 cf.2.9,P=0.03) and mean morphological index(MI)(17.8 cf.7.0,P =0.02).Number of thickened nerves(mean 2.5 cf. 1.4,P = 0.12),number of skin lesions(mean 19.4 cf.10.9,P = 0.15) and duration of illness(mean 15. 3 cf.12.8 months,P =0.68) did not predict ENL development.Conclusion:Finding LL patients with thickened earlobes,loss of lateral third of the eyebrow,high BI and MI should alert treating clinician to the possibility of ENL in a non endemic leprosy area.展开更多
文摘Objective:To determine the clinical features predicting erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL) in a non endemic leprosy area.Methods:Twenty newly diagnosed patients with MBL attending the skin clinic,Sarawak General Hospital from 1992 to 2007 were analyzed.They were divided into 2 groups,one with ENL and one without. Analysis of the presenting clinical features was done to determine the risk factors for ENL.Chi square and student t test was used for statistical analysis.Level of significance was set at 0.05.Results:ENL was present in 40%patients,all with lepromatous leprosy(LL).Clinical features that were seen more frequently in patients developing ENL include earlobe thickening(100%cf.25%,P =0.00),loss of the lateral third of the eyebrows(75%cf.16.7%,P=0.02) and mean bacteriology index(BI)(5.1 cf.2.9,P=0.03) and mean morphological index(MI)(17.8 cf.7.0,P =0.02).Number of thickened nerves(mean 2.5 cf. 1.4,P = 0.12),number of skin lesions(mean 19.4 cf.10.9,P = 0.15) and duration of illness(mean 15. 3 cf.12.8 months,P =0.68) did not predict ENL development.Conclusion:Finding LL patients with thickened earlobes,loss of lateral third of the eyebrow,high BI and MI should alert treating clinician to the possibility of ENL in a non endemic leprosy area.
