The incubation period is thought to range from nine months to over 20 years. Before the introduction of multi-drug therapy in the early s, leprosy could only be slowed but not cured, as the bacteria could not be killed. Now, with the use of antibiotics and with other medicines, the disease is curable. Once a person with leprosy begins appropriate treatment, they quickly become non-infectious.
There is no vaccine generally available to specifically prevent leprosy. However, the vaccine against tuberculosis TB , called the BCG vaccine, may provide some protection against leprosy. This is because the organism that causes leprosy is closely related to the one that causes TB. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Acne is common and can make people of all ages feel embarrassed, but treatments can help if acne is causing distress.
Anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease that occasionally infects humans. The Western obsession with cleanliness may be partly responsible for the increase in allergic asthma and conditions such as rhinitis. Careful prescribing of antibiotics will minimise the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Aspergillus is a fungus that commonly grows on rotting vegetation. It can cause asthma symptoms. The bacterium responsible for leprosy multiplies very slowly.
The disease has an average incubation period the time between infection and the appearance of the first symptoms of five years , according to the World Health Organization WHO. According to the New England Journal of Medicine , an armadillo native to the southern United States and Mexico can also carry the disease and transmit it to humans. The first system recognizes three types of leprosy: tuberculoid, lepromatous, and borderline.
WHO categorizes the disease based on the type and number of affected skin areas:. Clinical studies use the Ridley-Jopling system. It has five classifications based on severity of symptoms. Indeterminate leprosy may resolve or progress further to one of the five forms of leprosy within the Ridley-Jopling system. Your doctor will conduct a physical exam to look for telltale signs and symptoms of the disease. Your doctor may also perform a lepromin skin test to determine the form of leprosy.
People who have tuberculoid or borderline tuberculoid leprosy will experience a positive result at the injection site. WHO developed a multidrug therapy in to cure all types of leprosy. Additionally, several antibiotics treat leprosy by killing the bacteria that causes it.
These antibiotics include:. They may also want you to take an anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin Bayer , prednisone Rayos , or thalidomide Thalomid. The treatment will last for months and possibly up to 1 to 2 years. You should never take thalidomide if you are or may become pregnant.
What is leprosy? Symptoms of leprosy Leprosy progresses very slowly. Depending on the type of leprosy, symptoms may include: Skin sores or lesions that do not heal after several months lesions are flat or slightly elevated and light in color or slightly red Skin lumps and bumps that can be disfiguring Numbness of the skin because of damage to the nerves under the skin Muscle weakness.
What causes leprosy? Children are more likely to develop leprosy than adults. How is leprosy diagnosed? Can leprosy be prevented or avoided? Leprosy treatment Leprosy is treated with antibiotics. Living with leprosy If left untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the nerves in the fingers, toes, hands, and feet.
Questions to ask your doctor What antibiotic is best for me? Will the treatment cure my leprosy? We caught the leprosy early, but will I have any complications later in my life?
Is there any way to heal the sores on my body? Is there anything that can treat the numbness in my feet and hands? Should I have regular eye exams, in case the leprosy has affected my eyes? How often should I see my doctor? How should I interact with my family while I have open sores?
Last Updated: March 18, This article was contributed by: familydoctor. Host genetic factors are summarized and the impact of the development of interventions that prevent, reverse or limit leprosy-related nerve impairments are discussed. Abstract Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae in which susceptibility to the mycobacteria and its clinical manifestations are attributed to the host immune response.
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