Overview: Blood serum test for suspected people and those having direct contact with leprosy patients is an orientated and effective method in order to control and prevent the disease. The combination of blood serum analyse to detect PGL-1 and diagnosis of doctor is helpful for leprosy detection and it's a considerable improvement of modern science. Study method: Cross-section study. Objectives: surveillence on PGL test of leprosy antibody detection among patients at Khanh Hoa dermatology and Venereology hospital. Subject and method of study: 317 patients with skin diseases requested to take PGL-1 test. Derive serum from blood and analyse the sample by quick immune test to detect PGL-1 antibody. Results: Based on test results done with 317 patients at the clinic, there are 158 'people having positive blood serum, taking up 49.8 percent. The proportion of men is 57.1 percent and 42.9 percent for women. Young group (10-20 years of age) take up high percentage of positive blood serum (63.0 percent). High rate of positive serum turn out in places where many leprosy patients reside. For example, it's 57.8 percent in Van Ninh, 52.5 percent in Ninh Hoa. Patients are indicatively diagnosed such as erythema nodosum (21.8 percent), sensation loss (15.8 percent), nerve inflammation (12.9 percent), muscular atrophy (14.2 percent)
however, it focuses on patients who are assumedly diagnosed with leprosy by doctor (82.3 percent). People who contact leprosy patients have much higher rate of antibody against leprosy (80.9 percent). New detected multi-bacteria leprosy patients have 100 percent of positive PGL-1 test. 95.6 percent of leprosy contracted people are positive to PGL-1 test, higher than 29.41 percent of tuberculosis patients. Positive percentage of PGL-1 test (95.6 percent) is higher than skin smear test (60.8 percent) for both of 2 groups of new detected leprosy patients.