BACKGROUND Leprosy is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy, perhaps closely matched by diabetic neuropathy. Patterns of peripheral neuropathy in leprosy can be varied, which may include mononeuropathy, mononeuritis multiplex and symmetric polyneuropathy. Cranial nerves, especially facial and trigeminal nerves, are also commonly involved in leprosy. AIMS To find out the patte...

INTRODUCTION Renal involvement in leprosy has previously been described in the literature and can include amyloidosis, glomerulonephritis, nephrosclerosis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, and granulomas. AIM To evaluate renal involvement in Turkish patients with leprosy. MATERIAL AND METHODS In total, 32 patients with lepromatous leprosy but without any co-morbidities and 35 healthy control s...

The aim was to estimate the prevalence of eye problems in patients with leprosy and to assess the utilization rate of eye care services using cross-sectional case series design. All leprosy patients registered between April 2007 and June 2009 were included in the study. They were prospectively assessed by an internist for general health issues. An ophthalmic examination including assessment of ...

To assess the quality of the leprosy service in health facilities from the clients' perspective, qualitative data collection methods, i.e. semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and priority cards, were conducted in six health facilities located in all regions of Thailand. A total of 29 patients were interviewed and three focus group discussions involving 20 patients were ca...

INTRODUCTION The immune response caused by Mycobacterium leprae is a risk factor for the development of oxidative stress (OS) in leprosy patients. This study aimed to assess OS in leprosy patients before the use of a multidrug therapy. METHODS We evaluated the nitric oxide (NO) concentration; antioxidant capacity; levels of malondialdehyde, methemoglobin and reduced glutathione; and the activ...

Leprosy is a chronic and debilitating human disease caused by infection with the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus. Despite the marked reduction in the number of registered worldwide leprosy cases as a result of the widespread use of multidrug therapy, the number of new cases detected each year remains relatively stable. This indicates that M. leprae is still being transmitted and that, without ear...

Objective: Determine the frequency of rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), and anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2GPI) in leprosy patients, with and without joint involvement, and to evaluate the possible association among those ...

BACKGROUND although the foci of leprosy once present in Spain are now under control and almost inactive, isolated cases are still occasionally diagnosed. Meanwhile, population migration has brought about an increase in the incidence of cases corresponding to individuals from countries where leprosy is endemic, leading to changes in the epidemiology of this disease. OBJECTIVES the aim of this ...

Leprosy is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nervous system, leading to a high disability rate and social stigma. Previous studies have shown a contribution of genes encoding products of the lectin pathway of complement in the modulation of the susceptibility to leprosy; however, the ficolin-3/FCN3 gene impact on leprosy is...

BACKGROUND Low temperatures and slow blood flow may result from peripheral neuropathy caused by leprosy, and the simple detection of cold fingers could already be a preliminary classification for these patients. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether infrared thermography would be able to measure this change in temperature in the hands of people with leprosy. METHOD The study assessed 17 leprosy ...