give info on leprosy?

Answer 1

Probably the oldest disease known to mankind, leprosy, known as kustha rog in Hindi, is attributed to a curse. A leper is considered the cursed one mainly because of the deformities it can cause.

Though it has been wiped out from most parts of the world, it continues to be a major health hazard in India. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India accounts for about one third of leprosy cases in the world.

Transmission
A highly infectious disease, it can be controlled with proper treatment within a few weeks. It is caused by the Mycobacterium Laprae, which is usually transmitted from other leprosy patients. All patients with active leprosy, especially cases of Lepromatous Leprosy and borderline cases, should be considered infectious.

Lepromatous Leprosy patients harbour millions of Mycobacterium Leprae bacilli in their nasal mucosa, which are discharged when they sneeze or blow their noses.

Age group
Quite prevalent among children, the rate of incidence rises to a peak between 10 to 20 years.

Immunity It is a well known fact that only a few people exposed to the infection develop the disease. Some pregnant women develop lesions that heal spontaneously and help them acquire immunity in the process.

Factors that could lead to infection


Proximity to leprosy patients.

Presence of humidity in the environment favours the survival of Mycobacterium Leprae.

Overcrowding and lack of ventilation at home.

Lack of health education and personal hygiene.

Symptoms
Leprosy mainly affects the peripheral nerves, and sometimes the skin, muscles, bones, eyes and the internal organs. A patient may have some or all of the following features.


Hypopigmented patches.

Partial or total loss of sensation in the affected areas.

Presence of thickened nerves.

Presence of bacilli on the skin or nasal smears.

An advanced case of leprosy can have deformities like:
Presence of nodules or lumps on the face or ears.

Loss of fingers or toes.

Nasal depression.

Foot drop and wrist drop.

Claw toes.

Perforation of the palate.

Control
Medical experts now use a multidrug therapy to effectively control the disease. There is now considerable evidence that BCG vaccine can provide some protection against clinical leprosy. In view of the variable protective effects of the BCG vaccine, several alternative vaccine preparations are being developed against leprosy.

Multidrug therapy: The drugs used are Rifampicin, Dapsone, Clofazimine, Ethionamide and Protionamide. The duration of treatment should depend upon the symptoms of the disease.

The WHO has recommended that the multidrug therapy for leprosy should be administered for at least two years and continued till the smear disappears. Even after the patient's tests do not show any presence of the leprosy bacilli, the patient should be kept under observation, ideally for a period of five years.

Answer 2

What is it?

Leprosy is an infectious disease affecting primarily the skin and the nervous system. Most people have a natural immunity to the disease, but usually only prolonged exposure to the causal bacteria may result in active infection. The disease has a long incubation period, which means that the person may be infected long before any symptoms appear. This period may be as long as 3-5 years.

Leprosy is more common in the developing countries, and even if detected, most cases go untreated. According to WHO figures, there are about 6 cases of leprosy for every 10,000 Indians. At present, there are over five lakh registered cases of leprosy, mainly from the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

What is the cause?

Leprosy is caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium leprae. It is transmitted from person to person when the infected person coughs or sneezes. It may also be transmitted from an infected person to a susceptible person either through direct physical contact for a prolonged period, or by the use of contaminated clothes and linen.

Leprosy has two main forms – tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms produce lesions on the skin, but the latter is more severe. Between these two extreme forms, there is borderline or dimorphous leprosy. Patients with borderline disease are far numerous than those with lepromatous or tuberculoid disease.

What are the symptoms?

Leprosy usually starts as a slightly light-coloured patch that may be noticeable on any part of the body. This patch does not have any sensation and the patient is unable to feel pain or temperature in that area.

Other symptoms that indicate leprosy include:

Lesions on the skin that may not heal for a long time.

Loss of sensation in any part of the body.

Presence of thickened nerves that can be felt under the skin.

Presence of nodules or lumps on the skin especially the face.

Muscle weakness in the limbs that makes leprosy patients drag their feet while walking.

If left untreated, there is considerable disfiguration of the face and limbs.

How is it diagnosed?

A thorough physical examination is done. Slit-skin smear from the skin lesions may demonstrate bacteria confirming the diagnosis. Smears made from the secretion in the nose may also show the bacteria. The lepromin skin test is done to classify leprosy. In some cases when the tests are inconclusive, a biopsy may be done from the skin lesions.

Can it be treated?

Though leprosy is an infectious disease, treatment reduces its infectivity to a large extent. Dapsone is the most commonly used drug to treat leprosy, and in about 90 days the patient becomes non-infectious to others.

Treatment of leprosy is done by a combination of drugs. This method is called Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) that includes drugs such as Dapsone, Rifampicin, Ethionamide and Clofazimine . They are effective and have minimal side effects.

Some of the side effects of Dapsone include anaemia, liver and kidney impairments, psychosis and allergic rashes. Clofazimine may cause minor side effects like rash and discolouration of the skin and excessive dryness of skin. In such cases, ethionamide may be used as the third drug in MDT.

Some myths about leprosy


Leprosy is hereditary – this is not true; it is an infection. It might be transmitted from parents to children because of close contact, not genetically.

It occurs due to immoral behaviour and is a punishment from God.

It is caused by faulty eating habits like eating dried fish – there is no research to prove this.

Transmission can be prevented by social boycott of the patient.

Leprosy is incurable – it is curable to a large extent with MDT. With the prescribed dosage of medicines, patients become non-infectious within a specified period of time.

People with leprosy are outcasts and have no support from the society – today there are many support groups that are working in the area of leprosy.

Answer 3

THE DISEASE

1.1 What is leprosy?
Leprosy is caused by bacteria or germs called Mycobacterium leprae. It is an infection that affects the skin and the nerves of the hands and feet and can also cause problems in the eyes and nose.

Answer 4

how much do you want
it s caused by a bacteria - myco. leprae
is of 2 broad categories
is treated with dapsone
causes disfigurement and less pigmented patches
diagnosed by biopsy of skin

Answer 5

Leprprosy-"A contagious disease that causes discoloration and lumps on the skin and, in severe cases, disfigurement and deformities."