Prevalence and types of lower limb conditions in Nepal

Abstract

Background: understanding the burden of lower limb conditions (LLCs) is essential for effective health planning, yet data in low-resource settings like Nepal is scarce. LLCs, encompassing diverse issues such as pain, injuries and amputations, can profoundly impact mobility, well-being, and livelihoods. With limited healthcare access and growing non-communicable diseases, the scale and impact of LLCs in Nepal remain unknown. This study estimates the prevalence and distribution of person-reported LLCs, exploring their effects on daily living and regional disparities.

Methods: to estimate the prevalence of LLCs a household survey was conducted in three selected districts of Nepal representing different ecological zones; Dolakha (Mountain), Lamjung (Hill) and Dang (Terai/Plan). Follow-up questions to 500 individuals with LLCs explored the conditions further, including their distribution by cause and by important characteristics at the individual and ecological zone levels.

Results: a total of 2,525 households were surveyed and screened for LLCs. Six hundred and seventy one (26%) of households reported that there was at least one person with an LLC, and at the individual level 11.2% of adults reported an LLC. Sixty-five percent of LLC sufferers were women. Pain and discomfort was the most common problem (reported in 97% of those with an LLC), followed by injury/trauma (19%), deformity (7.2%), wounds (1.4%) and amputation (0.8%). We present the regions of the lower limb most affected, causes of conditions and the extent to which each condition affected participants’ ability to carry out activities of daily living.

Conclusion: our study shows a high prevalence of LLCs across diverse regions of Nepal, with pain and discomfort most frequently reported, and injuries and trauma common in specific areas. LLCs impair daily activities and employment, highlighting the need for tailored interventions and assistive technologies. Findings pave the way for larger-scale studies and scalable, cost-effective solutions.

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Identifiers

ORCID for L. Gates: orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-3418

ORCID for Andrew Amos Channon: orcid.org/0000-0003-4855-0418

ORCID for A. Dickinson: orcid.org/0000-0002-9647-1944

ORCID for C. Metcalf: orcid.org/0000-0002-7404-6066

ORCID for K. Ward: orcid.org/0000-0001-7034-6750

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