Site of early skin lesions in children with leprosy.

Most of the data on the site of early skin lesions in leprosy were obtained from the case histories of registered patients, mainly those in leprosy institutions and who had had the disease for one or more years. Such information should be treated with reservation. The purpose of this study was to determine, in a highly endemic area, the site of early skin lesions in 28 220 children who, after screening, were kept under close surveillance and re-examined yearly. In 469 patients with a single lesion, this was most often located on the thighs or buttocks, followed by the arms, forearms, legs, and lumbar region. This finding is of interest mainly for diagnostic purposes. The predilection of single early lesions for certain regions of the body does not appear to depend on whether these parts are exposed or not.