Leprosy - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Leprosy Definition

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease which attacks the skin, peripheral nerves and mucous membranes. Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It may be characterized by disfiguring skin sores, peripheral nerve damage, and progressive debilitation. Leprosy is most common in warm, wet areas in the tropics and subtropics. Leprosy is also called Hansen's disease.

Leprosy is a chronic, mildly contagious granulomatous disease of tropical and subtropical regions and it may be caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. Anaesthetic leprosy is a form of leprosy chiefly affecting the nerves, marked by hyperesthesia succeeded by anaesthesia.

Leprosy Cauases

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast bacillus that attacks cutaucous tissue and peripheral nerves, producing skin lesions, anesthesia, infection and deformities. It is not very contagious 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. All forms of the disease eventually cause peripheral neurological damage which causes sensory loss in the skin and muscle weakness.

Leprosy has two common forms, tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms produce sores on the skin, but the lepromatous form is most severe, producing large, disfiguring nodules. People with long-term leprosy may lose the use of their hands or feet due to repeated injury resulting from lack of sensation.

Leprosy Symptoms

In lepromatous disease, early lesions are multiple, symmetrical, and erythematous, sometimes appearing as macules or papules wilh Smoolh surfaces. Lepromatous leprosy symptoms are a chronically stuffy nose and many skin lesions and nodules on both sides of the body.

The other symptoms of the leprosy may be included:

• Pain
• Fever
• Malaise
• Epistaxis
• Footdrop
• Weakness
• Skin lesions
• Numbness
• Nasal congestion
• Thickened dermis
• Nasal mucosa lesions
• Lymphadenopathy
• Tuberculoid lesions
• Muscle weakness

Leprosy Treatments

Medications used to eliminate the microorganism and to reduce symptoms like dapsone, rifampin and clofazimine.

Aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide are used for the control of inflammation, that may occur with therapy.

Treatment consists of antimicrobial therapy using sulfones, primarily oral dapsone, which may cause hypersensitivity reactions.

There are two medicines that have to be taken once a month for at least two years for patients with lepromatous leprosy. For tuberculoid leprosy, two medicines should be taken once a month for six months.