Abstract: ObjectiveTo approach the status of leprosy disabilities in newly detected cases in recent 11 years in China.MethodsBased upon the records from the National Leprosy Recording and Reporting System in National Center for STD and Leprosy Control, 24128 leprosy cases detected during 1989-1999 in China were analyzed in terms of leprosy disbility.ResultsThe proportion of disabilies in newly detected leprosy cases in 1989 in whole country was 46.49% and decreased to 32.7% in 1999, and the proportions of cases with grade Ⅱ disabilities were 25.55% (1989) and 22.06% (1999). There were 19 provinces where disability rate was more than 40%. Out of patients with disabilities, those with grades Ⅰ and Ⅱ disabilities and with deformities (loss of eyebrow, facial paralysis or saddle nose) accounted for 37.54%, 61.04% and 1.42%, respectively. There were 20 provinces where grade Ⅱ disabilities accounted for more than 50% of all patients with disabilities. The disability rates in patients aged under 15 years, 15-65 years and over 65 years were 24.74%, 39.3% and 53.33%. The patients with a delay in detection of 2 years had a disability rate of 28.95%, and those with a delay of more than 2 years and 5 years had the rates of 48.06% and 60.95%, respectively. The disability rate was 53.76% in patients with leprosy reactions. The grade Ⅱ disability rate in paucibacillary patients (28.53%) was significantly higher than that in multibacillary ones (22.03%). Conclusions Disability rate of leprosy in newly detected cases is still high although it has decreased in the recent 11 years. The rate is associated with delay in detection, leprosy reaction and leprosy type. It suggests that early detection of leprosy patients, regular treatment with multidrug therapy, and management of leprosy reactions will be the effective measures to prevent disabilities of leprosy.

Key words: leprosy, disability