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Abstract
Discussion Forum (0)
Leprosy is the most frequent infectious neuropathy. It is a treatable disease, but early onset treatment is essential in order to avoid permanent nerve injury. Unfortunately, many patients already have WHO grade 2 disability at the time of their diagnosis. In developed countries this happens due to lack of knowledge about the disease, while in the poor regions lack of knowledge is accompanied by inappropriate investigative tools. This particularly important in the pure neural leprosy, when no skin abnormality can be seen. However, most of the times leprosy is a temperature-dependent neuropathy that affects initially the intradermal nerve fibers and then the nerve trunks at specific sites, resulting in a very suggestive clinic and neurophysiologic patterns, whose recognition is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. We strongly believe that this simple approach, associated to an effective treatment, will certainly contribute to eliminate leprosy as a health public problem, an objective that is 20 years late.
Leprosy is the most frequent infectious neuropathy. It is a treatable disease, but early onset treatment is essential in order to avoid permanent nerve injury. Unfortunately, many patients already have WHO grade 2 disability at the time of their diagnosis. In developed countries this happens due to lack of knowledge about the disease, while in the poor regions lack of knowledge is accompanied by inappropriate investigative tools. This particularly important in the pure neural leprosy, when no skin abnormality can be seen. However, most of the times leprosy is a temperature-dependent neuropathy that affects initially the intradermal nerve fibers and then the nerve trunks at specific sites, resulting in a very suggestive clinic and neurophysiologic patterns, whose recognition is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. We strongly believe that this simple approach, associated to an effective treatment, will certainly contribute to eliminate leprosy as a health public problem, an objective that is 20 years late.
Pure Neural Leprosy
Wilson Marques Junior
Affiliations:
Wilson Marques Junior, MD, PhD, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Wilson Marques Junior, MD, PhD, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Abstract
Discussion Forum (0)
Leprosy is the most frequent infectious neuropathy. It is a treatable disease, but early onset treatment is essential in order to avoid permanent nerve injury. Unfortunately, many patients already have WHO grade 2 disability at the time of their diagnosis. In developed countries this happens due to lack of knowledge about the disease, while in the poor regions lack of knowledge is accompanied by inappropriate investigative tools. This particularly important in the pure neural leprosy, when no skin abnormality can be seen. However, most of the times leprosy is a temperature-dependent neuropathy that affects initially the intradermal nerve fibers and then the nerve trunks at specific sites, resulting in a very suggestive clinic and neurophysiologic patterns, whose recognition is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. We strongly believe that this simple approach, associated to an effective treatment, will certainly contribute to eliminate leprosy as a health public problem, an objective that is 20 years late.
Leprosy is the most frequent infectious neuropathy. It is a treatable disease, but early onset treatment is essential in order to avoid permanent nerve injury. Unfortunately, many patients already have WHO grade 2 disability at the time of their diagnosis. In developed countries this happens due to lack of knowledge about the disease, while in the poor regions lack of knowledge is accompanied by inappropriate investigative tools. This particularly important in the pure neural leprosy, when no skin abnormality can be seen. However, most of the times leprosy is a temperature-dependent neuropathy that affects initially the intradermal nerve fibers and then the nerve trunks at specific sites, resulting in a very suggestive clinic and neurophysiologic patterns, whose recognition is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. We strongly believe that this simple approach, associated to an effective treatment, will certainly contribute to eliminate leprosy as a health public problem, an objective that is 20 years late.
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