An Epidemiological Study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Poledokhtar District, Lorestan Province, Southwestern of Iran, 2001-2011

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is one of the six important tropical diseases, different aspects of which required to be studied, as recommended by World Health Organization. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a prevalent parasitological disease with diverse clinical manifestations in Iran. This study investigated the status of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Poledokhtar district, during 2001-2011. Methods and Materials: This descriptive survey was performed on all 310 cutaneous leishmaniasis patients recorded in the Poledokhtar health center during 2001-2011. Demographic information of patients including age, sex, habitat, number and sites of lesion,month and years of incidence were recorded.The data were described by SPSS16 software. Results: Out of 310 under care patients, 142 cases (45.81%) were males and the rest of patients (54.19%) were females. Totally 41 patients (13.23%) resided in urban areas, while 269 (86.77%) lived in rural areas. The most frequent age group was 20-29 years old (25.16%). Hands were the most common sites of lesions (44.84%). Out of 9.03% of the patients had two or more lesions (56.45%).The most frequent cases of the disease were observed in the fall. Conclusions: The incidence rate of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the years has been higher than expected rate in Poledokhtar district. This situation has been alarming and comprehensive planning for control and prevention of the disease is necessary.