Quality of life in Indian people affected by leprosy? A systematic review from the country with the highest burden of leprosy cases.

Quality of life (QoL) is important for people with leprosy since the disease can cause physical and psychological problems. These problems may result in stigma and social discrimination. India reported 107 851 new leprosy cases for the year 2023-24, accounting for 61.6% of new cases detected globally. This systematic review was conducted to assess the QoL among people affected by leprosy in India using existing literature. The Scopus, PubMed and Infolep databases were searched for articles for this systematic review and included only studies conducted in India. The critical appraisal tool of cross-sectional studies (AXIS) was used to assess the study quality and risk of bias. The search identified 253 articles. After screening titles and abstracts, 23 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 12 studies were included in the systematic review. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref instrument was used to measure QoL. Of the 12 studies, the factors of disability (9 studies) and old age (8 studies) were highly associated with low levels of QoL. Five studies identified that low levels of QoL are associated with being female with the leprosy. Early identification and prevention of disabilities are important steps in improving the QoL. Increased investment is needed in leprosy programmatic activities and research to achieve the target of zero leprosy.