01356nas a2200145   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042100001300054700001500067700001300082700001300095245010800108520098000216022001401196       2020                            d  c09/20201 aLabuda S1 aWilliams S1 aMukasa L1 aMcGhee L00aHansen's Disease and Complications among Marshallese Persons Residing in Northwest Arkansas, 2003-2017.3 a<p>Persons from the Republic of the Marshall Islands have among the highest rates of Hansen's disease (HD) in the world; the largest Marshallese community in the continental United States is in northwest Arkansas. In 2017, the HD Ambulatory Care Clinic in Springdale, Arkansas, informed the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) that Marshallese persons with HD had severe disease with frequent complications. To characterize their illness, we reviewed ADH surveillance reports of HD among Marshallese persons in Arkansas treated during 2003-2017 ( = 42). Hansen's Disease prevalence among Marshallese in Arkansas (11.7/10,000) was greater than that in the general U.S. population. Complications included arthritis (38%), erythema nodosum leprosum (21%), and prolonged treatment lasting > 2 years (40%). The majority (82%) of patients treated for > 2 years had documented intermittent therapy. Culturally appropriate support for therapy and adherence is needed in Arkansas.</p>  a1476-1645