What is leprosy. Borderline leprosy

Leprosy (or leprosy) is a disease caused by the bacillus Hansen, discovered by him in 1873.

Cellular lipids give an unequal reaction in different people for its introduction into the cell. It depends on the chemical composition lipids.

The bacillus is classified as a gram-positive bacillus, similar to tuberculosis. It mainly affects the nervous system and skin. Less often - the eyes and other organs. Sensitivity in the hands and feet is often lost. If treatment is not started in time, the face and limbs are deformed. Fatal outcome rare.

Interesting. In the ranks of the lepers were historical figures People: Louis XI, Henry XIV, Emperor Constantine of Byzantium, impressionist Paul Gauguin.

In mild forms of leprosy, isolation is usually not necessary. In more serious cases, special measures are applied.

What are the types of leprosy?

There are three options for the development of the disease - depending on the type and degree of tissue damage (skin or nervous system), the possibility of cure or transition to chronic stage.

Tuberculoid

Considered to be of good quality. Characterized by small lesions. In some places, the skin turns white and gradually loses sensitivity.

Bacilli sticks are not found. The lepromine test is positive. With this form, the body's resistance is high. Treatment is fast. After healing of the ulcerated areas, depigmented white scars remain in the form of spots.

Sometimes the development of leprosy leads to damage to the peripheral nerves. This causes temperature disturbance and pain along the course of the nerve. If the disease has flowed into the chronic stage, then during exacerbations in the areas of rashes, mycobacteria of leprosy are determined.

Note. Currently, about 11 million people on earth are affected by the bacillus, and many have not had any skin contact with infected people. It is assumed that infection occurs through broken skin or respiratory tract.

Lepromatous

The rash may be pigmented. They are symmetrically located, more often on the face, buttocks and folds of the limbs. While leprosy is gaining strength, they still have vellus hair.

But after 3-5 years, the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes begins. Erythemal areas lose fluffy hairs. Mustaches and beards may disappear. The tissues of the nose and superciliary arches grow. This symptom is characteristic and is called "lion's face".

In place of infiltrates, nodules appear - lepromas. Leprosy affects the mucous membranes respiratory tract. The nose is deformed. The glottis narrows. Eyes suffer. The spread of leprosy continues in lymph nodes, testicles and liver.

Note. In the Middle Ages, leprosy led to a slow, painful death. The duration of the disease was about 9 years, after which it ended lethal outcome. Neither medicine nor priests were able to alleviate the suffering of people.

Uncertain

Instead of characteristic rashes, there are some hyperemic spots with blurred borders. Hansen's wand is not defined. Histology gives a picture of chronic dermatosis. The patient's condition is good.

The peripheral nervous system is affected. Further development will show positive or backlash for the lepromine test. In the first case, only tuberculoid scenario is possible, in the second - lepromatous.

The erased forms include Lucio's leprosy. Visually, it resembles scleroderma and myxedema. Characterized by vasculitis, ulceration, thrombosis of the skin blood vessels. Later leads to ichthyosis.

Leprosy: etiology, pathogenesis

From infection with a bacillus to the first manifestations, it can take from 2-3 months. up to 50 years old. Children and persons suffering from chronic alcoholism and drug addiction. With prolonged contact, they are much more likely to become infected.

Therefore, the practice of immediately separating a newborn from a sick mother and transferring it to a children's institution or healthy relatives has been introduced. Then there is no infection. intrauterine infection not fixed.

Important. Hansen sticks spread by airborne droplets(when the patient talks, they spread within a radius of 1-1.5 m) and from leprosy. Less often - with microcracks in the skin. There are known cases of infection during tattooing. Found in all biological fluids.

High natural resistance in healthy people. Not everyone is susceptible to this disease, even under the most adverse circumstances.

In some, leprosy occurs as a latent infection.

Diagnostics

The infectious disease doctor prescribes serological, bacterioscopic, histological studies from lesions on the skin, scraping from the nasal mucosa.

Differentiate with toxicoderma, tertiary period of syphilis, exudative erythema tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, urticaria pigmentosa, vitiligo, trophic ulcers, mycoses.

If the nerves are affected, it is necessary to exclude diseases similar in symptoms.

No misdiagnosis carries such serious consequences for a man, like a leprosy.

Consultations of other specialists

If there are neurological and amyotrophic manifestations, osteomyelitis, pathology of the eyes and respiratory organs, patients are prescribed consultations of a dermatologist, neuropathologist, surgeon, ophthalmologist, otorhinolaryngologist.

Leprosy treatment

The first antileprosy drug, developed in 1950, was slow to act and became less and less effective as the bacillus developed resistance to it.

New treatments were emerging, and since the early 1980s, combination therapy has been the accepted treatment option worldwide for leprosy. This method includes the use of Dapsone, Rifampicin and Clofazimine.

Fact. Complex therapy turned out to be very effective. As a result of its use, the number of leprosy patients decreased from 12 million in 1985 to about 1.3 million in mid-1996.

On a note. In some patients, even 5-10 years after chemotherapy, Hansen's stick continues to be detected. Prescribe iron supplements to prevent anemia. Sometimes patients have to take medication for life - periodically there are inexplicable relapses.

Physiotherapy is prescribed as soon as the diagnosis is made.

Orthopedic measures are shown to correct impaired body functions. Modulan also came to the aid of the sick. A continuation of the hand is made from it or the desired tool is formed. Patients can hold cutlery and tools, even a hammer.

Is there a risk of contracting leprosy? Prevention

Lepers have been isolated from the healthy for all ages. The Bible gives detailed instructions by definition of leprosy, by quarantine, etc.

Fact. Fear of disease led to cruel laws. This included the procedure of placing a patient in a freshly dug grave, publicly repudiating him, declaring him dead, and raising him upstairs for confinement in an isolated area. It was allowed to leave her after putting on a special hoodie with slits for the eyes with bells. It seemed like death itself was coming.

Columns of lepers so dressed walked through medieval Europe. A consequence of the Crusades was the extraordinary spread of leprosy.

In the 20th century, the scientists of the world united against leprosy, and leprosy became a controlled infection.

There are two leper colonies in Russia, an immunological laboratory and a research institute for leprosy. Cases of infection have become isolated - mostly relatives of patients.

In the fight against leprosy, the practice of preventive measures has developed:

1. Strict registration of patients.
2. Putting them in a leper colony.
3. Medical examination of family members of the patient.
4. Preventive examination of all residents of the village.
5. Appointment of "Dapson" to contact persons.
6. The introduction of the BCG vaccine in contact with patients with a highly contagious form and the appointment of "Lepromin" to them.
7. A ban on the issuance of the bodies of deceased patients to relatives. Instead, they are buried on the territory of the leper colony.

The project includes the creation of a test to determine predisposition to leprosy.

Interesting. Some doctors have accomplished real feats by infecting themselves and experimenting with cures. It was the same with leprosy, but the researchers were unable to achieve infection. Norwegian Danielsen and his colleagues injected themselves with the blood and pus of the patient. Even implantation under the skin of leprosy did not lead to the disease. Later, the non-viability of the sticks, visible under a microscope, was established.

In 1960 american doctor was able to infect experimental mice, but this did not advance the fight against the disease. Then evidence was obtained of the life of the infection in environment: soil, water, the body of one species of armadillos and chimpanzees.

Note. Now leprosy is found in the warm climates of Africa, Asia and South America. The further north people live, the fewer episodes of leprosy are recorded. In the US, 100 new cases are diagnosed each year. The top three in terms of disease leadership are India, Brazil and Burma. In Russia, over the past 10 years, only 11 cases have been identified.

As long as this ancient disease still exists, the best preventive measure is to improve the socio-economic and sanitary conditions of life.

It seems that everyone, without exception, heard the word “leprosy” or “leper” in the context of different phrases, without thinking about the source and meaning of these words. In our time, these words have a meaning different from the original. Calling a person a leper, they say that he is unsociable and not like everyone else, although initially this meant that the person was sick, enough dangerous disease- leprosy.

What is leprosy

leprosy (modern medical name- "Lepra") - a disease caused by an infection, occurs in chronic form. The causative agent of the disease is the gram-positive microbacterium leprosy. It affects the skin, mucous membranes and PNS (peripheral nervous system) of the patient.

Many people think that leprosy is an epidemic from the past centuries, but it is still not defeated and is found in all corners of the world.

Most commonly affected by leprosy tropical countries, although in Europe the disease makes itself felt. In Russia, the last reported case was in 2015 in Astrakhan. The infection is transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person, through prolonged skin contact or by means of mixing mucous and other body fluids.

Ways of infection:

• Prolonged physical contact;
• Saliva;
• Lactation;
• During sexual contact;
• Urine;
• Mucus from the nasal passages;
• Blood;
• From animal carriers (monkeys, armadillos).

The disease has a fairly long incubation period. From the moment of infection to the onset of symptoms, it can take from 5 to 25 years.

Symptoms of leprosy

Primary symptoms, leprosy is similar to many others viral pathologies and is not easy to detect.

Primary symptoms of leprosy:

• Headache;
• Feelings of weakness;
• Drowsiness;
• Joint aches;
• Increase in body temperature.

Subsequent symptoms will differ, it depends on the possible type and stage of the disease. Tubercoloid type - with this type of disease, the skin and nervous system are most often affected. The disease does not affect the internal organs of a person. At the beginning, single spots, papules or plaques, of a light or reddish hue, form on the skin. With the further course of symptoms, the spots are pulled together at one point, forming foci. The skin around such foci loses sensitivity and becomes "numb". Most often, such formations appear on the face and limbs.

On the part of the PNS, changes also occur - the nerve endings thicken (they can be felt) and become painful.

are violated motor functions fingers are formed external symptoms diseases of the limbs (bird's paw and hanging foot). The facial, parotid, ulnar and radial nerves are affected. With severe damage to the skin, spontaneous rejection of a diseased organ or part of the body (mutilation) may occur. However, this type of pathology is much easier for patients.

Lepromatous type - leprosy of this type, is considered the most dangerous for humans, can lead to disability or death. The first symptoms can be considered the manifestation of shine and spots on the skin. In people with dark skin they are light and vice versa. Susceptibility in the affected areas persists, while hair loss begins in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bfocal lesions, and tumor-like or nodular formations appear. The affected organs are the face, limbs, back and peripheral nervous system, the adrenal glands and testicles may also be affected. There is a risk of loss of vision. The disease progresses quite quickly.

Borderline or dimorphic type - combine the symptoms of the two main types, with more pronounced symptoms and low sensitivity. In this case, the disease progresses more easily.

lion face

Lion face (Leontiaz) - a face with distorted features, a sign of an advanced stage of leprosy. This symptom is due to thickening of the skin and the appearance of furrows on the forehead and cheeks of the patient. Sometimes you hear the term " beautiful leprosy”, although there is little beauty here.

Signs of the "Lion's face" can be observed in other diseases:

• Heart failure;
• Edema syndrome in kidney disease;
• Hypoalbuminemia, various origins.

An undifferentiated type of leprosy is the best option for the course of the disease. Symptoms do not affect the organs of vision. With this type of leprosy, the skin develops characteristic inflammations, and disappear on their own without causing dangerous harm human health.

The concept of "lion's face" in medicine

In medicine, the "lion's face" is a sign of a progressive stage of leprosy, a lepromatous species. This name was given to the sign of leprosy by the doctors of Babylon and Assyria in the 8th-6th centuries BC, noting the similarity of the altered facial features with the muzzle of a lion.

What happens during the formation of the "lion's face":

• Earlobes droop;
• The skin becomes rough and thickened;
• Loss of hair in the area of ​​the eyebrows.

Modern medicine can correct facial features distorted by illness, but the effect cosmetic procedures, is possible only when successful treatment infections.

What do lepers look like?

Lepers are people with leprosy (leprosy) or chronic granulomatosis. Since the disease has been known since the time of the Old Testament, it is not surprising that the methods of treating and avoiding this disease began a very long time ago. The attitude of healthy people to lepers has always been the same - people try to avoid contact with the sick, so as not to become infected. However, modern medical knowledge helps to avoid cruel methods.

How lepers were treated then and now:

1. In ancient times, lepers were subjected to severe persecution. They were expelled from the settlements, housing and things were destroyed by burning. A leper (outcast) had to avoid contact with healthy people, go to torn clothes and not to cover their heads, also sick with leprosy, it was forbidden to create families. Thus lepers became outcasts and miserable.
2. In the Middle Ages, during an epidemic of leprosy, leper colonies began to be organized - settlements for the sick and their families. The creation of leper colonies meant clinics where lepers were to be treated. In fact, the sick were placed in strict quarantine, where the contact of lepers was only limited to a closed area. Since no special treatment was provided, and contact with infected people was not interrupted, the sick only lived out their days.
3. Modern science has figured out almost everything about leprosy. One of such knowledge is the fact that leprosy is not transmitted by light touch to the patient, and does not always lead to death. It is also known that 93-95% of the world's population have strong immunity to infection, and there is no risk of infection for them. Possessing this information, people no longer react so violently to infected patients, although there is an inner fear in everyone.

Now, drug treatment lepers is carried out quite successfully. Depending on the treatment, it takes place in a specialized infectious diseases hospital, and after the course of treatment, regular medical examinations should be carried out.

When a disease is detected in early stage, you can expect positive results of treatment within 2-3 years, with more advanced stages, treatment can take decades. You should also be aware that the characteristic external signs, can also occur in other pathologies: leishmaniasis, tertiary syphilis, toxidermia, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis of the skin, erythema nodosum and multiforme.

There is a fairly quick and simple method for diagnosing leprosy (may not be accurate): inject 1 ml of a 1% solution into the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe leprosy rash nicotinic acid, at a positive result, within 3 minutes, swelling and redness appear at the site of the rash. For more exact result, you need to go through a full diagnosis.

Leprosy disease: what kind of disease is it (video)

What it looks like, what pathogens and mycobacteria cause leprosy, whether it is contagious and how it is treated - the doctor will answer. The photographs here are uninformative, the medicine should be prescribed by a specialist. You should not be afraid of lepers, bypassing them or “poking” them with your fingers, the risk of infection from a leper should be provoked by close contact with the patient. And the disease itself, although considered dangerous, is still subject to treatment.

How do you imagine a person suffering from such an ailment as leprosy? What kind of disease is this? It is also called leprosy. Few people know about her now. Most likely, this is because the disease is not particularly common in our time. However, everyone should have an idea about it, remember that it will help us to protect ourselves from it.

A bit of history

Since ancient times, leprosy has been known to mankind. "What kind of disease is this?" - guessed the ancient healers. Hippocrates wrote about this disease. However, he confused it with psoriasis. AT medieval times leprosy has become the "plague of the century." Leprosariums began to appear everywhere, where they tried to treat the affected people. As a rule, these ancient medical institutions were near the monasteries. Patients with this terrible disease were encouraged to live in them. This gave a good preventive effect, made it possible to restrain the rapid spread of leprosy. In medieval France, there was even such a custom when a patient with leprosy was taken to a church, where they were placed in a coffin and covered with a lid. After that, his relatives went to the cemetery, lowered the coffin into the grave and threw a few lumps of earth on top, as if saying goodbye to the "deceased". Then the patient was taken out and taken to the leper colony, where he was to live the rest of his life. People did not know how to treat this disease. And only in 1873 in Norway G. Hansen discovered the causative agent of leprosy - Mycobacterium leprae. The situation with treatment immediately changed.

How can you get infected

Today, outbreaks of leprosy are observed mainly in tropical hot countries. The good news is that the number of patients continues to fall every year. However, in our time there are people who do not know what leprosy is. The disease, the photo of the sufferers of which can be seen here, is very common, as a rule, during close contact of people with each other, as well as through discharge from the mouth and nose.

Manifestations of the disease

Despite the fact that in our country the number of people suffering from the disease we are considering is small, there is still a risk of catching it. Leprosy is very insidious. What is the disease? How to recognize it? These questions are of interest to many of us. An infected person may initially experience weakness, lethargy, and drowsiness. He then notes that his arms and legs have bumps on his skin. it initial stage leprosy. Then deep damage to the skin and soft tissues occurs, ulcers form.

How to protect yourself

Speaking about such an ailment as leprosy, a photo of the diseased of which is presented here, it is worth mentioning that it has a rather long incubation period - 15-20 years. This means that the causative agent of it is able to stay in your body for years and you may not even be aware of it. In order to activate it, certain conditions must be met, for example, such as severe hypothermia, poor nutrition, poor personal hygiene, secondary infection. Therefore, it is important from childhood to strengthen your immunity and take care of the cleanliness around you. Treatment of the disease is long and requires the recommendations of many specialists. Typically, this is used antimicrobials. Haulmoogra oil is a remedy used by ancient healers for several centuries.

In this article, we have told you in an accessible way about such an ailment as leprosy. What kind of disease is leprosy? How to protect yourself from it? Now you know the answer to all these questions.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the acid-fast mycobacterium leprosy (Hansen-Neisser rod). With this infection, the skin, peripheral nervous system, eyes and internal organs are mainly affected. In the world of patients with leprosy, there are currently more than two million. Men suffer from this disease twice as often as women. Leprosy can occur at any age, but children under one year of age rarely get sick.

Leprosy is not very contagious. The only reservoir of leprosy is a sick person. Infection occurs by airborne droplets or by direct contact with the patient.

Clinical symptoms of leprosy

Immunological and clinical manifestations diseases are characterized by great diversity (from the tuberculoid form of infection to lepromatous). The first symptoms of leprosy disease usually appear on the skin of a person in the form of one or more hypopigmented or hyperpigmented plaques or spots. At the site of the skin lesion, a partial or complete loss of sensitivity most often occurs. Upon contact with a sick person in a healthy person, single lesions with reduced sensitivity may appear on the skin. Affected areas of the skin can spontaneously disappear within a few years, but in this case, you can not do without specific treatment. With early tuberculoid leprosy, clearly demarcated patches of hypopigmentation of the skin appear. Later, the lesions increase, their edges are rounded and rise, acquiring an annular shape. Nerve damage leads to muscle atrophy. Very often contractures of the foot and hand develop. Defeat facial nerves often leads to lagophthalmos, keratitis and corneal ulceration leading to loss of vision.

In lepromatous leprosy, the lesions are hypopigmented macules, nodules, plaques, or papules. The boundaries of the lesions are unclear, and their central sections are slightly raised above the surface of the skin, convex and compacted, and not concave, as in tuberculoid leprosy. Diffuse infiltration is usually observed between lesions. The favorite sites for localization of lesions in lepromatous leprosy are the ears, face (eyebrows, cheeks, nose), elbow joints, wrists, knees and buttocks. At this stage of the disease, the lateral sections of the eyebrows very often fall out, and later the earlobes sag, and the skin of the face wrinkles and thickens (lion's face).

Early symptoms of leprosy are difficulty breathing, nosebleeds, hoarseness, laryngitis, and nasal obstruction. When defeated anterior section eyes develop iridocyclitis and keratitis. In men, scarring and infiltration of the testicles lead to infertility. A very common symptom of leprosy is the development of a saddle nose as a result of perforation of the nasal septum and the formation of a small depression in the middle part of the back of the nose.

Leprosy treatment

In 1943, sulfonic drugs were proposed for the treatment of leprosy. In addition to them, ethyl mercaptan compounds or thiourea derivatives, the antibiotic Rifadin and isonicotinic acid derivatives are prescribed.

Antibiotic Rifadin has a high antileprosy activity and good tolerance when taken orally. The antibiotic is readily absorbed from digestive tract penetrating into body tissues. This drug especially effective in lepromatous leprosy. It provides fast bacteriological negativity.

Treatment of leprosy should be carried out by several medicines. Usually these are Rifadin, Clofazimine and Dapsone. The combination of Rifadin and Dapsone will be quite effective for the borderline lepromatous and borderline forms of the disease. In the lepromatous form of the disease, it is desirable to use all three drugs. During the treatment of leprosy should be used objective methods evaluation of the effectiveness of ongoing therapy, including biopsies and scrapings. Treatment of the disease should be continued until laboratory methods diagnostics will not be obtained steadfastly negative results. The optimal duration of treatment has not been established, but it is recommended to adhere to the therapeutic regimen for at least two years.

Prevention of leprosy

Infection of a child with leprosy does not occur in utero, but only through contact with the mother. To avoid infection of the newborn, it should be isolated from the mother immediately after birth.

Persons who have been in contact with a patient with leprosy should be especially carefully examined. long time. The closest relatives of the patient need to do a lepromine test. In areas where outbreaks of the disease have been detected, mass vaccinations against tuberculosis should be carried out. BCG vaccine. Identified patients must be isolated in clinics for rational therapy.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

There are many diseases in the world that are best avoided. However, you still need to know about them in order to be able to protect yourself from infection. This is exactly what Hansen's disease is.

What it is?

At the very beginning, you need to understand what this problem is. Leprosy - what is this disease? This disease infectious nature, it is caused by special microbacteria. Characterized long course and skin lesions, nervous system, internal organs, musculoskeletal system and mucous membranes. It is worth saying that leprosy has been known since ancient times. She was feared and feared, since she was at that time incurable and very terrible disease. However, modern scientists say that it can be infected only with prolonged contact.

Disease prevalence

Be sure to say where leprosy is common. The disease is mainly localized on the African continent and in Asia. However, it is also found in Latin America and Oceania. But still, the champions in incidence are India, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Madagascar, Brazil, Nepal and Nigeria. If we talk about numbers, then today there are approximately 180 thousand patients with this diagnosis. Most of them, approximately 80%, live in India. If we talk about Russia, then today there are about 600 people with this diagnosis on its territory (mainly in

Ways of infection with leprosy

How Hansen's disease is transmitted and whether it is possible to get it from a sick person - this is worth talking about in more detail. Leprosy is a companion of poverty, misery and unsanitary conditions. However, genetically determined features can also be the cause of its occurrence. immune system person. It is worth saying that approximately 95% of the population of the entire planet is not susceptible to this disease. And even after prolonged contact with the patient, these people cannot become infected. The mode of transmission of the disease is not yet fully understood. However, according to doctors, they can be as follows:

1. Airborne route. i.e. healthy man can become infected if the patient coughs, sneezes and even speaks.
2. Contact with contaminated soil. It is believed that leprosy is a disease of rural rather than urban residents.
3. The disease can be transmitted along with mosquitoes.
4. It is also possible to get infected in tattoo parlors or hospitals if dirty tools are used.

At-risk groups

1. These are people who either live or go on business trips to potentially dangerous regions (especially some areas of countries such as India, Egypt, Nepal, China).
2. People who have on the sixth chromosome (on the q25 site) genetic mutation. It is she who affects the predisposition to infection with this disease.
3. Breeding of certain animals that can carry the disease can also be a danger. These are armadillos or chimpanzees.

The occurrence of the disease

Like all heavy infectious diseases Leprosy is caused by specific microbacteria. They enter the body and settle on internal organs and begin to proliferate. As a result, granulomas appear, special tubercles that are created from the cells of the immune system. They are formed on the skin, in organs, bones, on neural pathways. It is worth remembering that the symptoms of the disease will vary depending on its type.

Symptoms of tuberculoid leprosy

Leprosy (disease) is divided into several types. The first of them is tuberculoid. What will the patient feel in this case? The skin is predominantly affected, and the nervous system may also be affected. In this case, the internal organs are most often not affected. At the very beginning of the disease, one or more foci of the disease appear on the human body. It can be a plaque, papule or spot (light, with a reddish tinge). Further, if treatment is not started, these foci of the disease begin to merge with each other, forming huge formations with burgundy edges. On the limbs of a person, as well as his face, small formations may occur. At the same time, she becomes numb, loses sensitivity. If the nervous system is damaged, then inflamed and thickened nerve trunks can be felt next to the skin lesions. May be broken later physical activity hands (there is a so-called bird's paw) and feet (drooping foot syndrome). At the same time, the nutrition of the skin is disturbed, it becomes easily vulnerable and brittle. Mutilation often develops. This is a spontaneous separation of an already dead part of the patient's body.

Symptoms of the lepromatous type

Hansen's disease can also be of the lepromatous type. What in this case can happen to the patient? It is worth saying that this particular type of disease is the most dangerous, and its course is the most severe. In most cases, a person becomes disabled, and often patients die. The onset of the disease is characterized by the appearance of shiny, which are not too different from healthy skin. The sensitivity is preserved. Over time, small tumors begin to form on the body (especially on the face). With the development of the disease, the appearance of a person is more and more distorted. There may be a so-called lion's face. Ulcers often appear on these formations, infection occurs, which significantly aggravates the patient's condition. Other symptoms that may appear with the development of the disease:

1. Orchitis, an inflammation of the testicles, can occur in men.
2. Loss of sensation in the limbs.
3. Contractures of the fingers may form, and mutilation often occurs.
4. Eye damage may occur, leading to blindness.
5. The mouth and larynx are often affected, resulting in a change in voice.
6. If granulomas form on the internal organs, they interfere with their normal functioning.

At the same time, it should also be said that Hansen's disease can have and borderline symptoms two types of illness.

Diagnosis of the disease

Chronic and acute can most often be diagnosed by their external manifestations. The same goes for leprosy. So, the following important indicators can indicate that the patient has the disease:

1. Characteristic spots on the skin that lead to thickening of the nerve trunks.
2. Identification of specific microbacteria. In this case, the integrity of the granuloma will be violated, a scraping will be taken from it and the contents will be examined under a microscope.

Treatment

It is worth saying that earlier leprosy was considered incurable disease, and patients with similar symptoms were isolated from society. Today, this problem can be completely eliminated. However, it is worth remembering that the treatment of serious diseases, including such as leprosy, is a very long-term event. At the same time, the patient is hospitalized in the so-called leper colony - a special place where he not only undergoes treatment, but also lives, and can even acquire a household. At the same time, all members of the patient's family must also undergo a specialized examination, which helps to identify possible infection. Ways to treat the disease:

1. The use of antibiotics. They can eliminate chronic infectious diseases, including leprosy. The type of medication in this case, as well as the duration of its administration, may vary depending on the type of disease. However, with this disease, the following are most often used: medical preparations: Dapsone, Ofloxacin, Rifampicin.
2. Anti-inflammatory therapy will also be mandatory. In such cases, the patient is prescribed a course of the drug " Acetylsalicylic acid", sometimes -" Prednisolone ".

If during the year the microbacteria characteristic of leprosy are not detected in the patient, he can go to the hospital. In this case, it will only be necessary to deal with the consequences of the disease and its external manifestations. At the same time, the person becomes completely non-infectious to others. In some cases, patients need the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist.