Out of the 1724 new cases registered between 1985 to 1992, 1169 could be contacted. The overall incidence of disabilities was 6.8%. Age above 45 years, bacteriopositivity and thickening of three or more trunk nerves were associated with a higher risk of disabilities. Staff training, patient education and steroid availability in the field were the suggested methods of reducing the occurrence of disabilities in leprosy patients.