Definition for leprosy

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is an infectious disease caused by Hansen's bacillus (the Mycobacterium leprae bacterium). more

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is an infectious disease caused by Hansen's bacillus (the Mycobacterium leprae bacterium). Leprosy can eventually cause a variety of skin problems, loss of feeling, and paralysis of the hands and feet.The disease affects the skin, nerves and mucous membranes. This chronic infectious disease usually affects the skin and peripheral nerves but has a wide range of possible clinical manifestations. Patients are classified as having paucibacillary (tuberculoid leprosy), multibacillary Hansen's disease (lepromatous leprosy) or borderline leprosy. Borderline leprosy (also termed multibacillary), of intermediate severity, is the most common form. Skin lesions resemble tuberculoid leprosy but are more numerous and irregular; large patches may affect a whole limb, and peripheral nerve involvement with weakness and loss of sensation is common. This type is unstable and may become more like lepromatous leprosy or may undergo a reversal reaction, becoming more like the tuberculoid form. Paucibacillary Hansen's disease is characterized by one or more hypopigmented skin macules and anaesthetic patches, i.e. damaged peripheral nerves which have been attacked by the human host's immune cells. Multibacillary Hansen's disease is associated with symmetric skin lesions, nodules, plaques, thickened dermis, and frequent involvement of the nasal mucosa resulting in nasal congestion and epistaxis (nose bleeds), but typically no nerve damage. Contrary to popular belief, Hansen's bacillus does not cause rotting of the flesh; rather, a long investigation by Dr. Paul Brand yielded that insensitivity in the limbs extremities was the reason why unfelt wounds or lesions, however minute, lead to undetected deterioration of the tissues, the lack of pain not triggering an immediate response as in a fully functioning body. Recently, leprosy has also emerged as a problem in HIV patients on antiretroviral drugs(NY Times). less