Lepromatous leprosy - The deceptive and the obvious
- Author:
Kader B Mohamed
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- From:Malaysian Journal of Dermatology
2008;21(-):103-104
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease with which mankind has been struggling for thousands of years. It is a disease of the superficial nerves where the Mycobacterium leprae, the causative microbe, enters
the Schwann cells and triggers a chain of immunological reactions. Although M. leprae was discovered by Armauer Hansen from Norway in 1872, we have yet to find a (in vitro) culture medium for its growth; we depend on animals such as mice, and armadillos for testing
sensitivity pattern against antibiotics. If not detected early or reactions in leprosy are not identified promptly and managed adequately, patients
can suffer severe deformities, disfigurement and be subjected to social stigma.
Awareness and suspicion are two elements necessary for early detection of leprosy. One patient who eluded the diagnosis of leprosy because of its resemblance to an important systemic disease and another with
prominent clinical features walked around freely undetected in a busy metropolis are reported here to draw attention to this important chronic infectious disease.
