Abstract: Objective: To investigate the status of delayed diagnosis of leprosy cases in Yantai City in recent years. Methods: Leprosy patients in Yantai City from 1991 to 2024 were screened from the National Leprosy Prevention and Control Management Information System (LEPMIS). The data were analyzed through SPSS 18.0. Results: After excluding relapsed cases and transferred-out patients, a total of 52 leprosy cases were screened out. The delayed diagnosis period ranged from 1 to 564 months, with a median of 24 months. There were 9 cases (17.3%) with a delayed diagnosis period of less than 1 year, 26 cases (50%) with 1-2.9 years, 7 cases (13.5%) with 3-4.9 years, and 10 cases (19.2%) with 5 years or more. At the time of diagnosis, Partial correlation analysis between the delayed diagnosis period and disability showed a statistically significant difference (P=0.043, R=0.285). Conclusion: From 1991 to 2024, the delayed diagnosis period of leprosy patients in Yantai City is mainly in 1-2.9 years, and the proportion of patients with a delayed diagnosis period of 5 years or more is relatively high. There is a positive correlation between the delayed diagnosis period and disability.

Key words: leprosy, newly detected cases, diagnostic delay, deformity