Survey of newly diagnosed leprosy patients in Japan (1993-2000)

We analyzed the medical and social problems of newly registered leprosy patients in the past 8 years from 1993 to 2000 in a low endemic country, Japan. There were 56 registered Japanese patients (males, 32; females, 24), and 76 registered foreign patients (males, 56; females, 20). The number of Japanese patients in each year was between 5 and 9, and 2/3of them were from Okinawa Prefecture, located in subtropical zone. But the number of foreign patients in each year was between 5 and 18, and 2/5 of them were from Brazil. The number of foreign patients was greater than that of Japanese patients. Male/female ratio has decreased among the Japanese.