An assessment of interobserver agreement on lesion size, morphology and clinical phenotype in cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by <i>Leishmania aethiopica</i> in Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) remains a major public health challenge, especially in endemic regions like Ethiopia, where an estimated 40,000 new cases occur annually. Effective treatment evaluation for CL relies on consistent clinical assessments, yet variability in lesion descriptions can complicate reliable outcome measures. Methods We conducted an inter-reliability study of clinicians’ evaluations of CL lesion morphology and size at ALERT Hospital, Addis Ababa. Twelve clinicians independently examined 12 patients with parasitologically confirmed CL, each clinician assessing lesion morphology, size, and severity. Results We found high consistency in reporting major morphological categories (e.g., plaques) but significant variability in secondary features like dyspigmentation and scale, as well as mucosal involvement. Lesion size measurements showed limited variability, suggesting its reliability as a potential measure for future clinical trials. Disparities in severity assessments highlight the need for a standardized scoring system in CL. Discussion Our findings underscore the importance of training for consistent, high-quality clinical evaluations of CL and suggests that lesion size could be a reproducible outcome measure in treatment efficacy trials.