Comparison of the cutaneous autonomic and somatic nervous functions in the lesions of leprosy.

Leprosy has been generally accepted as a disease involving the peripheral nerves (3), implicating both somatic and autonomic nerve fibers (4). Whereas the extent of sensory loss is routinely determined in making a clinical diagnosis of this disease, the involvement of autonomic nerves has not been investigated equally systematically. Recently Crawford (1) has reported a considerable loss of sweat function in anesthetic areas in cases of leprosy and diabetic neuropathy. This study is an investigation of two functions of the cutaneous autonomic nervous system i.e. , sweating response and the changes in vasodilatory effect of injected cholinergic drugs, in comparison with the sensory function of the somatic nervous system.