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 or multibacillary Hansen's disease. Paucibacillary Hansen's disease is milder and characterized by one or more hypopigmented skin macules.

Causes

A bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, that multiplies very slowly and mainly affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes. The organism has never been grown in bacteriologic media or cell culture, but has been grown in mouse foot pads.

Risk Factors

Although the mode of transmission of Hansen's disease remains uncertain, most investigators think that M. leprae is usually spread from person to person in respiratory droplets. Close contacts with patients with untreated, active, predominantly multibacillary disease, and persons living in countries with highly endemic disease.

Symptoms

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.

Diagnosis

The do

Treatment

Drugs are available to get rid of the bacteria infecting the body.

Prevention

Avoid contact with the infected.

References

Leprosy (Medicine in the Tropics). Hastings RC, editor. Second Edition. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1994.

Mastro TD, Redd SC, Breiman RF. Imported leprosy in the United States, 1978 through 1988: an epidemic without secondary transmission. Am J Public Health 1992;82:1127-30.

CDC