Or Hansen’s disease; Chronic, progressive disease caused by a bacterium Mycobacterium leprae closely related to that of tuberculosis. The infection attacks the skin and nerves. Once common in many countries, leprosy is now confined almost entirely to the tropics. It is controlled with drugs.
There are two principal manifestations. Lepromatous leprosy is a contagious, progressive form distinguished by the appearance of raised blotches and lumps on the skin and thickening of the skin and nerves, with numbness, weakness, paralysis, and ultimately deformity of the affected parts. In tuberculoid leprosy, sensation is lost in some areas of the skin; sometimes there is loss of pigmentation and hair. The visible effects of long-standing leprosy (joint damage, paralysis, loss of fingers or toes) are due to nerve damage and injuries of which the sufferer may be unaware. Damage to the nerves remains, and the technique of using the patient’s muscle material to encourage nerve regrowth is being explored.
Chronic granulomatous communicable disease occurring in tropical and subtropical regions; SYN. Hansen's disease.