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Ocular complications of leprosy in Cameroon
C E Mvogo1, A L Bella-Hiag, A Ellong
1H pital Genéral de Douala, Cameroon. HGD@camnet.cm
Purpose:
This study aimed to identify the main ocular complications of leprosy in Cameroon.
Patients And Methods:
It is a prospective cross-sectional study which took place from July 1998 to January 1999 in five leprosaria in Cameroon. The ophthalmological examination of all patients was performed by the same team.
Results:
Of the 218 patients examined, 60.1% were males and 39.9% females. 72.5% had a paucibacillary leprosy and 27.5% a multibacillary form. 77.5% of patients had at least one ocular lesion and 38.3% of eyes had visual acuity < or = 1/10. Madarosis and anterior uveitis were more frequent in multibacillary forms while lagophthalmos and cataract were so in paucibacillary forms.
Conclusion:
Ocular complications are frequent in leprosy in Cameroonians. It is a true public health problem and it is important to prevent these lesions by early diagnosis and adequate treatment.