Facts About Leprosy (Hansen's Disease)
Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast, rod-shaped bacillus. With the application of multidrug therapy since 1982, leprosy has been eliminated in most countries in the world and Vietnam has also been recognized for leprosy elimination. However, up to now, leprosy is still not properly understood, which is also the cause of psychological burden for leprosy patients.
If leprosy isn’t treated, it can cause severe disfigurement and significant disability.
1. What is leprosy?
Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy) is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It primarily affects the nerves of the extremities, the skin, the lining of the nose, and the upper respiratory tract.
It’s thought that leprosy spreads through contact with the mucosal secretions of a person with the infection. This usually occurs when a person with leprosy sneezes or coughs.
The disease isn’t highly contagious. However, close, repeated contact with an untreated person for a longer period of time can lead to contracting leprosy.
Pregnant mothers with leprosy cannot pass the disease on to their unborn babies. The disease is also not transmitted through sexual contact.
Today, about 208,000 people around the world are infected with leprosy, according to the World Health Organization, mostly in Africa and Asia.
2. What are the symptoms of leprosy?
Leprosy can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa). The bacteria attack the nerves, which can become swollen under the skin. This can cause the affected areas to lose the ability to sense touch and pain, which can lead to injuries, like cuts and burns. Usually, the affected skin changes color and either becomes:
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Lighter or darker, often dry or flaky, with loss of feeling.
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Reddish due to inflammation of the skin.
Image of skin lesions in patients with leprosy
Because leprosy affects the nerves, loss of sensation can occur. When sensation is lost, injuries such as burns or lacerations may go unnoticed. Since you may not feel the pain that could signal harm to your body, take extreme care to make sure the affected body parts are not injured.
3. How is leprosy treated?
Leprosy can be cured. Over the past two decades, 16 million people with leprosy have been cured around the world. Treatment depends on the type of leprosy you have. Antibiotics are used to treat infections. Doctors recommend long-term treatment, usually from 6 months to a year. If you have severe leprosy, you may need to take antibiotics for longer. Antibiotics cannot treat nerve damage caused by leprosy.
WHO developed a multidrug therapy Trusted Source in 1995 to cure all types of leprosy. It’s available free of charge worldwide.
Doctor may also want you to take an anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin, prednisone. In addition, topical medications can be used to treat deep skin ulcers caused by leprosy, including Multidex gel.
Skin ulcers in leprosy patients before and after more than 7 days of treatment with Multidex gel