RESUMO
1- A study is reported of the mortality of leprosy patients in Cordova and Talisay, Cebu Province, Philippines. The data are regarded as exceptionally accurate, having been derived from records of households inncluded in three surveys of Cordova (1933, 1941 and 1948) and two of Talisay (1936-37 and 1950-51), all made by the staff of the Leonard Wood Memorial in cooperation with the Department of Health of the Philippines. For Cordova, there are included 15 years of experience, 1933 to 1948, and for Talisay, 14 years, 1936-37 to 1950-51. Most of the bacteriologically positive patients had been treated for some years at the Eversley Childs Sanitarium. Sulfones were rarely used in therapy at that institution before 1947, and only for a few selected patients until 1951. 2- Standardized death rates have been computed for persons 15 years of age and over for each community and for both combined, by sex, for the total population, and for persons suffering from lepromatous or from nonlepromatous (tuberculoid or indeterminate) leprosy. For Cordova the second survey fortunately divided the experience at a critical point, and rates were obtained for the period 1933 to 1941, which are compared with those of the World War II period and the years immediately following, 1941 to 1948. 3- During the intervals between the initial and last surveys, for both communities combined, the average annual mortality for persons with lepromatous leprosy was 5.1 times that of the general population; for male patients the ratio was 5.1:1.0, and for females 4.4:1.0. Excess mortality over that of the general population was 71.7 per 1000 per year for patients of both sexes - 78.2 for male patients, and 53.3 for female. A larger experience is necessary to determine whether the observed greater excess mortality in males is a genuine characteristics or a chance variation. Patients suffering from the nonlepromatous forms did not have appreciably higher death rates than the general population. 4- Among lepromatous patients of both communities, the ratio of actual deaths to those expected at age specific rates prevailing in the general population. 4- Among lepromatous patients of both communities, the ratio of actual deaths to those expected at age specific rates prevailing in the general population was 4.0:1.0 for patients 15 to 29 years of age, 7.2:1.0 for those 30 to 49 years old, and 2.5:1.0 for those 50 years and over...
