recent food shortage is associated with leprosy disease in bangladesh a case-control study孟加拉国最近粮食短缺与麻风病相关疾病病例对照研究.pdfVIP

Recent Food Shortage Is Associated with Leprosy Disease in Bangladesh: A Case-Control Study 1 2 3 4 1 Sabiena G. Feenstra *, Quamrun Nahar , David Pahan , Linda Oskam , Jan Hendrik Richardus 1 Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2 Health Systems and Infectious Diseases Division, ICDDR, B, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 3 Rural Health Program Nilphamari, The Leprosy Mission Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 4 KIT Biomedical Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Abstract Background: Leprosy is remaining prevalent in the poorest areas of the world. Intensive control programmes with multidrug therapy (MDT) reduced the number of registered cases in these areas, but transmission of Mycobacterium leprae continues in most endemic countries. Socio-economic circumstances are considered to be a major determinant, but uncertainty exists regarding the association between leprosy and poverty. We assessed the association between different socio-economic factors and the risk of acquiring clinical signs of leprosy. Methods and Findings: We performed a case-control study in two leprosy endemic districts in northwest Bangladesh. Using interviews with structured questionnaires we compared the socio-economic circumstances of recently diagnosed leprosy patients with a control population from a random cluster sample in the same area. Logistic regression was used to compare cases and controls for their wealth score as calculated with an asset index and other socio-economic factors. The study included 90 patients and 199 controls. A recent period of food shortage and not poverty per se was identified as the only socio-economic