The illness can be cured if treatment is completed as prescribed. If left untreated, the nerve damage can result in paralysis and crippling of hands and feet.
In very advanced cases, the person may have multiple injuries due to lack of sensation, and eventually the body may reabsorb the affected digits over time, resulting in the apparent loss of toes and fingers.
Corneal ulcers or blindness can also occur if facial nerves are affected, due to loss of sensation of the cornea outside of the eye. Other signs of advanced leprosy may include loss of eyebrows and saddle-nose deformity resulting from damage to the nasal septum.
Antibiotics used during the treatment will kill the bacteria that cause leprosy. But while the treatment can cure the disease and prevent it from getting worse, it does not reverse nerve damage or physical disfiguration that may have occurred before the diagnosis.
Thus, it is very important that the disease be diagnosed as early as possible, before any permanent nerve damage occurs. In the U. There are several federally supported outpatient clinics External throughout the U.
Hansen's Disease Leprosy. Section Navigation. It is also more contagious. This type of leprosy may affect organs such as the kidneys, testicles in men , eyes, and nose. Leprosy is not very contagious. Most cases of leprosy are from repeated and long-term contact with someone who has the disease. Doctors believe that leprosy might be passed from person to person. This happens by breathing in droplets that get into the air when infected people cough or sneeze.
Most people who come in contact with M. However, people whose immune systems are weakened from chronic disease such as diabetes , HIV , AIDS , or heart disease may be more likely to develop leprosy.
This is because their immune systems are not strong enough to fight the bacteria. Your doctor will ask you questions about your medical history and the symptoms you are experiencing. They will probably want to remove a tiny piece of the affected skin called a biopsy to check for the M. Even though the risk of catching leprosy is very low, you can still reduce your risk. The best way to prevent leprosy is to avoid contact with body fluids and the rashes of people who have leprosy.
Leprosy is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics can kill all the M. This is why early treatment is important. You may need to take antibiotics for 6 months or longer, depending on the severity of your infection. If left untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the nerves in the fingers, toes, hands, and feet.
Repeated injuries and nerve damage can cause muscle weakness, deformities, and even the loss of fingers and toes. Untreated leprosy can also cause swelling, and skin sores and lesions that are more severe. If leprosy damages the lining of the nose, it can cause frequent nosebleeds and constant stuffiness. If leprosy damages your eyes, it can lead to glaucoma and even blindness.
Lepromatous leprosy can reduce the amount of the male hormone testosterone and sperm counts in men. This can lead to erectile dysfunction and infertility. In more severe cases, leprosy can also damage the kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure.
Ethical issues also need to be considered and a fine balance needs to be maintained between achieving a cure for the patient and protecting the society at risk.
This would be possible only when the treatment of an individual is ensured till attainment of complete cure, at least wherever feasible. The duration of MDT required depends on the aim, resources, motivation of the individual, and his availability for follow-up.
Source of support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: Nil. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Indian J Dermatol v. Indian J Dermatol. Munisamy Malathi and Devinder Mohan Thappa. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. Received Sep; Accepted Sep. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Leprosy has been considered a curable disease after the implementation of multidrug therapy MDT , which has been proven to be safe and effective, by bringing about a significant change in the global and national scenario of leprosy by upgrading the control of leprosy to the next stage of eradication. Keywords: Fixed duration , leprosy , multibacillary , multidrug therapy , paucibacillary. Introduction What was known? Global and Indian Scenario The global registered prevalence of leprosy in the beginning of as per the WHO official reports received during , from countries and territories, was , cases, whereas the number of new cases detected during was , and the figure for India was 1,26,, which accounts for an alarming To promote compliance and to move away from long-term monotherapy such as dapsone.
To promote compliance and cost effectiveness. There were four successive phases in the implementation of MDT which were as follows:[ 4 ] — Introduction of MDT on a global basis. Open in a separate window. Differences in Classification of Leprosy Cases and MDT Implementation in India Until , leprosy cases with more than 10 lesions counting number of skin and nerve lesions involved were classified as MB.
The limitations associated with FD PB MDT are as follows The cure or endpoint of treatment of PB cases smear-negative patients has been more difficult to define unlike in MB cases wherein the slit-skin smears are indicators of disease activity. Newer MDT Regimens Newer regimens that are more effective and operationally less demanding are the need of the hour because of certain drawbacks with the existing MDT regimens, such as:[ 37 — 39 ] The longer duration of therapy for MB leprosy is a disadvantage from the operational point of view.
Daily administration of dapsone and clofazimine are not directly supervised. Emergence of resistance to dapsone and rifampicin. The various newer MDT regimens include the following: MB cases Rifampicin-susceptible MB patient:[ 40 ] Fully supervisable, monthly administered regimen rifapentine mg or rifampicin mg plus moxifloxacin mg plus clarithromycin mg or minocycline mg administered once monthly under supervision for 12 months. Rifampicin-resistant MB patient: Fully supervised regimen in two phases:[ 41 ] An initial six-month intensive phase followed by an month continuation phase.
Once a month ROM for six months. Accompanied MDT The patient is provided the entire supply of MDT drugs at the time of diagnosis, while someone close to or important to the patient assumes the responsibility of helping him or her complete a full course of treatment.
Granulomas regressed faster if clofazimine was added to the PB regimen. Conclusions The MDT regimens for the treatment of leprosy have undergone several changes especially with regard to the duration of treatment. What is new? References 1. Leprosy today. India's alarming share of global new leprosy cases. Desikan KV. Elimination of leprosy and possibility of eradication: The Indian scenario.
Indian J Med Res. Daumerie D. Implementation of MDT-Successive steps. In: Sansarricq H, editor. Multidrug therapy against leprosy: Development and implementation over the past 25 years.
WHO Study Group. Geneva: World Health Organization; Chemotherapy of leprosy. Sansarricq H. The Study Group. Handbook of leprosy; pp. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; Classifications of leprosy; pp.
Jacobson RR. Treatment of leprosy. Rao CK. IAL textbook of leprosy. Mishra RS, Kumar J. Worobec SM. Dermatol Ther. Why multidrug therapy for multibacillary leprosy can be shortened to 12 months. Lepr Rev. Effectiveness of multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy: A long-term follow-up of 34 multibacillary leprosy patients treated with multidrug regimens till skin smear negativity.
Relapses in multibacillary leprosy patients: Effect of length of therapy. No difference in leprosy treatment outcomes comparing and dose multidrug regimens: A preliminary study.
Cad Saude Publica. Combined regimens of one year duration in the treatment of multibacillary leprosy—Combined regimens with rifampicin administered during one year. Pattyn SR. Efficacy of different regimens in multibacillary leprosy. Pai VV. Chemotherapy of leprosy-further challenges. Girdhar BK, Girdhar A. Short course treatment of leprosy: Present status.
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