Leprosy

Causes and symptoms of leprosy

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What is leprosy?

Leprosy (leprosy) refers to infectious diseases that occur in the chronic form. It affects the skin and nerves located on the surface. The cause of leprosy, prolonged contact with the skin of an infected person. According to some experts, the infection may also occur by air. In spite of the existing myths about the disease, a rare touch to the affected area of the skin can cause leprosy. The prejudice can be attributed to the idea of the incurability of leprosy and a bad prognosis (death). It should also be noted the low threshold of the incidence of leprosy among people from risk groups, for which there is a real danger of infection. No more than 10% of persons do not have sufficient immunity and can not resist the penetration of the pathogen, therefore, it is believed that the pathogenicity of micro-organisms that cause leprosy, are relatively high.

The geography and features of the spread of leprosy

Leprosy today is very rare in the regions, which are characterized by cold climate and is mostly prevalent in the tropics and subtropics. The disease observed in Asia and Africa (India, countries of the former USSR, Japan, Korea and others), as well as in Central and South America.

Leprosy does not apply to diseases with a mass character, but nevertheless, it affects about 11 million people worldwide (according to who). According to statistics, three times more likely to leprosy men fall ill, if we take into account the age of those infected, among children are associated with higher susceptibility to microorganisms than among adults.

Causes leprosy

Causative agents of leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae was discovered by Hansen in 1874. From the moment of infection until the first symptoms of leprosy, it may take from two to 20 years, an average of 3-10 years.

Mycobacterium leprae, which is considered the cause of leprosy, have much in common with M. tuberculosis but, unlike them, they are cultivated only on the skin of experimental animals and do not grow on nutrient media of artificial origin.

Mycobacterium (Mycobacteriaceae) is a family of actinomycetes. The only genus — Mycobacterium. Some members of the genus Mycobacterium (eg. M. tuberculosis, M. leprae), pathogenic to mammals

The symptoms of leprosy

In the first place when leprosy affects the tissues that come into contact with air. The symptoms of leprosy is skin lesions, mucous membranes of the mouth and sinuses, and the nerves located on the surface. In advanced cases, leprosy penetrates into deep skin layers and causes the destruction of nerve fibers, causing deformities, distorted the familiar face of a man.

The causative agents of leprosy are not the immediate cause of the withering away of the fingers on the limbs. Not treated in time the infection leads to tissue necrosis on the hands and feet. Deprived of their blood supply in the fingers fairly quickly develops a secondary infection, which are bacteria that enters the injured skin thus, it is due to bacterial infection ultimately die fingers of the hands and feet.

There are two types of leprosy: lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy type. In the first case the bacilli multiply rapidly in the skin and cause the formation of nodes (leprom) or plaques with a characteristic scaly structure. Over time the skin becomes thicker, it appears deep wrinkles. They often can be seen on the patient's face, which resembles a lion's face – characteristic leprosy symptoms.

If the disease is in the tuberculin type, symptoms of leprosy are flat spots with red or white shade or covered with scales. In the affected areas of the skin sheath of nerve fibers become more dense, their thickness gradually leads to loss of sensitivity of individual tissues. In the case where the agents penetrate in large nerve trunks occur destructive changes of bones and joints, most often this affects the legs. In medicine known cases of spontaneous disappearance of symptoms of leprosy skin type.

Treatment of leprosy

For several centuries, leprosy was treated by chaulmoogra oil, which came sulfonic medications. The main treatment for leprosy since the 1950s has become diafenilsulfon (Dapsone). The therapeutic effect can be seen only over a long period of time. Although not a specific treatment for leprosy, sulfonic medications slow the progression of the disease. In mild cases, recovery occurs after two years, in more severe situations, the treatment of leprosy requires about eight years.

With the advent in the 1980's, strains resistant to the main treatment for leprosy – Dapsone in the medical practice included complex schemes. Widespread in the lepromatous type of leprosy currently got clofazimine.