http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001347.

htm

Alternative names

Hansen's disease

Definition Return to top

Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is
characterized by disfiguring skin lesions, peripheral nerve damage, and progressive
debilitation.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top

Leprosy is caused by the organism Mycobacteriumleprae. It is a difficult disease to

transmit and has a long incubation period, which makes it difficult to determine
where or when the disease was contracted. Children are more susceptible than adults
to contracting the disease.

Leprosy has two common forms, tuberculoid and lepromatous, and these have been
further subdivided. Both forms produce lesions on the skin, but the lepromatous form
is most severe, producing large disfiguring nodules.

All forms of the disease eventually cause peripheral neurological damage (nerve
damage in the extremities) manifested by sensory loss in the skin and muscle
weakness. People with long-term leprosy may lose the use of their hands or feet due
to repeated injury resulting from lack of sensation.

Leprosy is common in many countries in the world, and in temperate, tropical, and
subtropical climates. Approximately 100 cases per year are diagnosed in the U.S.
Most cases are limited to the South, California, Hawaii, and U.S. island possessions.

Effective medications exist, and isolation of victims in "leper colonies" is unnecessary.

The emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium leprae, as well as increased
numbers of cases worldwide, have led to global concern about this disease.

Symptoms Return to top

Symptoms include:

 one or more hypopigmented (lighter than your normal skin color) skin lesions
that have decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain
 skin lesions that do not heal after several weeks to months
 numbness or absent sensation in the hands and arms, or feet and legs
 muscle weakness resulting in signs such as foot drop (the toe drags when the
foot is lifted to take a step)

Signs and tests Return to top

 Lepromin skin test can be used to distinguish lepromatous from tuberculoid

leprosy, but is not used for diagnosis.
 Skin scraping examination for acid fast bacteria
Treatment Return to top

Medications used to eliminate the microorganism and to reduce symptoms include:

 Dapsone
 Rifampin
 Clofazimine
 Ethionamide
 Aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide are used for the control of inflammation
(e.g., "erythema nodosum leprosum") that may occur with therapy

Expectations (prognosis) Return to top

Early recognition is important. Early treatment limits damage by the disease, renders
the person noninfectious, and allows for a normal lifestyle.

Complications Return to top

 permanent nerve damage

 cosmetic disfigurement

Calling your health care provider Return to top

Call your health care provider if signs or symptoms described here occur, especially
following exposure. Cases of leprosy in the United States need to be reported to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prevention Return to top

Prevention consists of avoiding close physical contact with untreated people. People
on long-term medication become noninfectious (they do not transmit the organism
that causes the disease).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/166163.stm
Leprosy

If the condition is left untreated, leprosy can lead to amputations

Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases. It is a chronic infectious disease that
attacks the nervous system, particularly the nerves of the hands, feet and face.
Sufferers feel no pain in these areas and are thus likely to injure themselves without
realising it.

What is Leprosy?

Leprosy is a painful condition which, although curable, can leave sufferers deformed
and crippled if left untreated.

It is caused by a bacteria similar to that which causes tuberculosis.

There are three types of the disease. The generalised form - the lepromatous form -
attacks peripheral nerves, the skin, the hands and feet, the mucous membranes
(such as the lining of the nose), and the eyes.
In contrast, the tuberculoid form is localised, so its affects are less widespread across
the body.

The third type is known as borderline or dimorphous leprosy, and is has

characteristics of both other forms.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates there are 830,000 cases of the
disease worldwide. It is most prevalent in poverty-stricken areas of in Asia, Africa and
Latin America.

The Fifteenth International Congress on Leprosy is currently meeting in Beijing to

assess progress towards the WHO's goal of achieving a world without leprosy by the
year 2000.

What are the symptoms?

The disease is difficult to diagnose accurately even today, but is characterized by

cuts on the body coupled with loss of sensation.

Lepromatous leprosy symptoms are a chronically stuffy nose and many skin lesions
and nodules on the front and back of the body.

Sensation loss starts at the fingers and toes and may only affect a small patch of skin
to begin with. The loss of sensation can lead to unnoticed injuries which may in turn
become infected.

In advanced cases, gangrene will set in and flesh will rot on the patient.

Tuberculoid leprosy symptoms are a few well-defined skin lesions that are numb.

Sensation loss may only affect a small patch of skin. Again, the loss of sensation can
lead to unnoticed injuries and infection.

Dimorphous leprosy creates skin lesions characteristic of the lepromatous and

tuberculoid forms.

What is the outlook?

The disease is curable, but the effectiveness of the treatment is dependant on an

early diagnosis.

Since 1982 the WHO has recommended multidrug therapy (MDT). Patients are given
a cocktail of strong antibiotics which can completely cure the tuberculoid form of the
disease within six months and the more infectious lepromatous form within two
years.

A combination of drugs must be used because the leprosy bacteria can develop
resistence to antibiotics very quickly.

If treatment is started early, deformities and disabilities can be prevented.

MDT also makes the few highly-infectious patients non-infectious very quickly, which
helps prevent the spread of leprosy.

To date more than eight million patients have been totally cured of leprosy.

However, because most cases of the disease occur in difficult to reach places, many
of them are not treated early enough.

Is help available?

LEPRA (The British Leprosy Relief Association) is a medical charity which shares the
WHO goal of eradicating the disease. It aims to identify cases early and ensure
prompt treatment.

The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations provides an umbrella

organisation for non-governmental leprosy groups around the world.

This page contains basic information. If you are concerned about your health, you
should consult a doctor.

Alternate Names : Hansen's Disease

Definition

Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is
characterized by disfiguring skin lesions, peripheral nerve damage, and progressive
debilitation.

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Leprosy is caused by the organism Mycobacteriumleprae. It is a difficult disease to

transmit and has a long incubation period, which makes it difficult to determine
where or when the disease was contracted. Children are more susceptible than
adults to contracting the disease.

Leprosy has two common forms, tuberculoid and lepromatous, and these have
been further subdivided. Both forms produce lesions on the skin, but the
lepromatous form is most severe, producing large disfiguring nodules.

All forms of the disease eventually cause peripheral neurological damage (nerve
damage in the extremities) manifested by sensory loss in the skin and muscle
weakness. People with long-term leprosy may lose the use of their hands or feet
due to repeated injury resulting from lack of sensation.

Leprosy is common in many countries in the world, and in temperate, tropical, and
subtropical climates. Approximately 100 cases per year are diagnosed in the U.S.
Most cases are limited to the South, California, Hawaii, and U.S. island possessions.

Effective medications exist, and isolation of victims in "leper colonies" is

unnecessary. The emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium leprae, as well as
increased numbers of cases worldwide, have led to global concern
Leprosy Symptoms & Signs

Symptoms include:

 one or more hypopigmented (lighter than your normal skin color) skin lesions
that have decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain
 skin lesions that do not heal after several weeks to months
 numbness or absent sensation in the hands and arms, or feet and legs
 muscle weakness resulting in signs such as foot drop (the toe drags when the
foot is lifted to take a step)

Leprosy Prevention

Prevention consists of avoiding close physical contact with untreated people.

People on long-term medication become noninfectious (they do not transmit the
organism that causes the disease).

tuberkuloid lepra Lepramatosa lepra