What is Leprosy? Symptoms and Treatment

Leprosy is a disease known since before Christ. The disease has been described in ancient Egyptian sources. Since the cause of the disease was not known at that time, it was thought to be a familial situation or God's punishment of the person. In the Middle Ages, when the cause of the disease was still unknown, leprosy patients wore separating clothes and thus prevented other people from approaching them.

What is Leprosy?

The answer to the question 'Why does leprosy occur?' was found in 1873 by Dr. Hansen showed the bacteria causing the disease under the microscope. Leprosy is also called Hansen's disease, after the doctor who defined the disease. Early recognition and treatment of the disease helps to prevent both the spread and the development of complications related to the disease. Since the bacterium multiplies very slowly, the symptoms of the disease appear about 20 years after the bacterium enters the body.

• The disease is mainly; It affects the nerves, skin, eyes, inner surface of the nose and other upper respiratory epithelium (surface).
• Bacteria cause nerve damage, causing nerves to swell under the skin.
• This leads to the loss of the sense of touch and pain in the related area.
• Injuries such as burns and cuts may occur in the related area due to the loss of pain and sense of touch.
• The skin areas affected by leprosy may experience discoloration. The skin may be lighter or darker than normal skin color, or red due to inflammation.

When the disease is not treated, it can lead to many problems such as loss of limbs and vision problems. The word leprosy, which is used in the disease and causes the question "What does leprosy mean?" It is in the form of 'cutting off a limb or bone from the body' in Arabic. In ancient times, when the disease could not be treated, the disease was called leprosy due to the loss of limbs due to the disease. leprosy disease; It is a condition that affects the skin, nerves and mucous membranes (the soft and moist parts of the body openings). signs of a rise:

• Patchy discoloration of the skin, pale
• Lump formation under the skin
• Thick, rough, dry skin
• Painless on the soles of the feet ulcer
• Painless swelling of the earlobe or face, formation of lumps
• Shedding of eyebrows and eyelashes.

Symptoms due to nerve damage:

• Drowsiness in the affected skin area
• Muscle weakness or paralysis, especially in the hands and feet
• Growth in the nerves around the knees, elbows and neck
• It may progress to vision loss It can be counted as eye problems.

Due to the effect on mucosal damage:

• Nose bleeding
• Nasal congestion may occur.

Leprosy disease, tenderness in nerves and pain, redness and pain in the affected area, and a burning sensation on the skin. Leprosy progresses if left untreated and:

• Paralysis of the hands and feet, disability
• Shortening of the fingers and toes
• Chronic ulceration that does not heal on the foot
• Visual loss
• Kidney failure
• Erectile dysfunction and infertility in men
• Eyebrow loss
• It can cause serious problems such as disfiguring the nose.

How is Leprosy Transmitted?

How leprosy spreads from person to person has not been fully clarified yet. However, scientists think that droplets released into the air when a person with leprosy coughs and sneezes are inhaled by other people. To contract the disease requires close contact for several months with an untreated leprosy patient. Sitting side by side with the leprosy patient on the bus, hugging, shaking hands, eating at the same table, the disease does not infect a healthy person. Leprosy does not pass from mother to baby through the placenta. It is also known that the disease is not transmitted by sexual contact. Since the disease begins to show symptoms years after the bacterium enters the body, it is not possible to detect the actual source of the infection. Our country has reached the leprosy eradication target of the World Health Organization to eradicate leprosy and the incidence of the disease is below 1/10,000. exceeding them are at risk. Places where the disease is more common:

• America: Brazil
• Asia continent: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka
• Africa continent: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, United Republic of Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria.

People who will travel to these areas and spend a long time in these areas are advised to be careful. Long-term close contact with people who have leprosy and do not get their treatment properly is also a risky situation for disease transmission. It is recommended that people who encounter such a situation apply to the nearest health institution. To prevent the spread of leprosy, the patient; At home, it may be considered to be completely isolated in leprosy senatoriums. On the other hand, this situation can cause distress as it cuts off the person's relationship with social life. It has been determined that BCG, which is a tuberculosis vaccine, has a protection ranging from 20% to 80% for leprosy. Although there are studies to develop a more effective vaccine against leprosy, a highly protective vaccine has not been found yet. Therefore, in preventing the spread of the disease, it is of great importance to treat the sick person successfully and prevent it from being contagious. Raising the awareness of the society about leprosy is one of the main points of the modern leprosy control program.

How is the Diagnosis and Treatment of Leprosy?

Leprosy can cause similar symptoms to dermatological and neurological diseases. While it is easy to diagnose in regions where the disease is intense, the option of leprosy may come to mind later in regions where the disease is less common. A patient examination is usually sufficient for the diagnosis of leprosy. In the examination, the sensations of hot-cold, touch and pain are checked on the entire skin, especially on the affected skin parts. Since leprosy also affects the nerves, the presence of thickening and hardening in the peripheral nerves close to the skin is checked. A small skin sample is taken from areas such as the face, ears, hands and feet, and the presence of bacteria causing the disease is investigated.
Leprosy is an infectious disease that can be treated. Multi-drug therapy as recommended by the World Health Organization for the treatment of leprosy is applied. Multiple antibiotic therapy; It is done in order to provide effective treatment, to shorten the recovery period and to minimize the side effects. In addition to these, preventing the Mycobacterium Leprae bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics and destroying the bacteria that have already developed resistance are among the targets of multidrug therapy. In order for the treatment of the disease to be successful, the drugs prescribed by the doctor should be used regularly.
Since the treatment of the disease will take as long as 1-2 years, it may be possible for the patient to stop taking the drugs after a certain period of time. However, it should be kept in mind that patients who do not complete the treatment period may encounter serious complications related to the disease in the future. Patients who continue their treatment; When faced with conditions such as skin lesions becoming red and painful, pain and swelling in the nerves, the doctor should inform the doctor immediately. In such cases, a more intensive treatment protocol can be applied. Inflammation-reducing drugs can be added to multi-drug therapy.
Leprosy in children is treated as in adults, but drug doses may differ between children and adults. Women with leprosy should definitely be under the control of a doctor when they plan to become pregnant and throughout pregnancy.
Leprosy is a disease that has been known for a long time and has led to large-scale epidemics in certain regions. Today, leprosy treatment is carried out quite successfully. It would be beneficial for people who show symptoms of leprosy to apply to the nearest health center in order to prevent the progression of the disease and not to spread the disease to their surroundings. You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.

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