Is leprosy a neurological disorder?

Is leprosy a neurological disorder?

The neurological manifestations of leprosy are restricted to the peripheral nervous system, and the clinical patterns are dependent on the hosts’ immune response to the M. leprae infection. The association with typical cutaneous lesions provides convenient disease identification and classification.

What body parts does leprosy affect?

It can affect the skin and the nerves of the hands and feet as well as the eyes and the lining of the nose. In some cases, leprosy can also affect other organs, such as the kidneys and testicles in men. If left untreated, leprosy can cause deformities of the hands and feet, blindness, and kidney failure.

Is leprosy painful?

Pain is common among patients with leprosy and is multifactorial, but especially associated with nerve damage, leprosy reactions, and neuritis. This is an important consideration, as even after adequate treatment and bacteriological cure, pain may present as a new disabling condition.

Who is most at risk for leprosy?

Leprosy can develop at any age but appears to develop most often in people aged 5 to 15 years or over 30. It is estimated that more than 95\% of people who are infected with Mycobacterium leprae do not develop leprosy because their immune system fights off the infection.

What does leprosy do to your skin?

Leprosy produces skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. If it isn’t treated, it can cause severe disfigurement and significant disability. Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history.

What does a person with leprosy look like?

Signs of leprosy are painless ulcers, skin lesions of hypopigmented macules (flat, pale areas of skin), and eye damage (dryness, reduced blinking). Later, large ulcerations, loss of digits, skin nodules, and facial disfigurement may develop. The infection spreads from person to person by nasal secretions or droplets.

What are the effects of leprosy on the body?

Other effects of leprosy are due to its impact on the body’s nervous system. Leprosy does not affect the central nervous system. However, it can affect the peripheral nervous system (PNS) (sensory, motor and autonomic nerves) by:

What is a leprosy infection called?

Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy) is an infection caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. These bacteria grow very slowly and it may take up to 20 years to develop signs of the infection. The disease can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa).

How long does it take to develop leprosy?

However, it is not highly transmissible, and approximately 95 percent of individuals who are exposed to Mycobacterium leprae never develop leprosy. The infection can be contracted at any age, and signs and symptoms can take anywhere from several months to 20 years to appear.

Can leprosy be cured?

Before the introduction of multi-drug therapy in the early 1980s, leprosy could only be slowed but not cured, as the bacteria could not be killed. Now, with the use of antibiotics and with other medicines, the disease is curable. Once a person with leprosy begins appropriate treatment, they quickly become non-infectious.