de Paula HL, de Souza CDF, Silva SR, et al. - In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies, experts systematically identified clinical factors related to physical disability in individuals with leprosy. Their search yielded 2,447 reports. Upon analysis, they found that male vs female patients with leprosy were more likely to have physical disabilities. In addition, individuals with multibacillary leprosy were four-fold more likely to have a physical disability than those with paucibacillary leprosy. Furthermore, those who had leprosy reactions demonstrated a greater likelihood of having a disability. People with lepromatous leprosy experienced 5- to 12-fold greater odds of disability. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis validated the relationship between the presence of physical disabilities and male sex, multibacillary leprosy, leprosy reactions, and lepromatous presentation. The researchers suggested that their findings can help to inform the development of targeted interventions for early identification of people at higher risk of developing physical disabilities, as well as education drives to encourage early consultation to initiate treatment for leprosy reactions and limit physical disability.