Background Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae, the obligate intracellular bacillus that attacks cutaneous tissue and can damage the peripheral nervous system. Aim To determine the association between the Ninjurin 1 gene asp110ala (rs2275848) polymorphism in nerve damage leprosy patients. Meterials and methods We carried the 234 leprosy patients along with equal number of controls with age and gender-matched were recruited. Genotyping was done by polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism and confirmation of sequence. Results The CC genotype (ala/ala) had a higher risk of developing nerve disability when compared those carrying the AA genotype (asp/asp) and the variation observed were statistically significant at P < 0.05. Conclusion The Ninjurin 1 gene asp110ala genetic variation may be a risk of nerve damage among leprosy patients in south India. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.