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Oct 1, 2023 · Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacteria.It can affect the skin, nerves of the hands and feet, eyes, and lining of the nose.
Leprosy can cause muscle paralysis, resulting in clawed fingers and foot drops. This makes it difficult for people to walk or use their hands. The condition can also damage nerves in the face, causing the eyelid muscles to stop working. As the eyes are no longer protected by blinking, they are easily damaged, leading to sight loss and blindness.
Apr 26, 2023 · Once called leprosy, Hansen's disease is a curable bacterial infection. It is not particularly contagious, and treatment involves antibiotics. Learn more here.
Corneal ulcers or blindness can also occur if facial nerves are affected, due to loss of sensation of the cornea (outside) of the eye. Other signs of advanced leprosy may include loss of eyebrows and saddle-nose deformity resulting from damage to the nasal septum. Antibiotics used during the treatment will kill the bacteria that cause leprosy.
Leprosy, also called Hansen disease, is a disorder known since ancient times. It is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae and is contagious, which means that it can be passed from person to person. It is usually contracted by breathing airborne droplets from affected individuals' coughs and sneezes, or by coming into contact with their ...
Diagnosis in the U.S. is often delayed because health care providers are unaware of Hansen's disease (leprosy) and its symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment prevents nerve involvement, the hallmark of Hansen's disease (leprosy), and the disability it causes. Without nerve involvement, Hansen's disease (leprosy) would be a minor skin disease.
The small brick-red rod-shaped cells appear in clusters. Mycobacterium leprae (also known as the leprosy bacillus or Hansen's bacillus) is one [a] of the two species of bacteria that cause Hansen's disease (leprosy), [1] a chronic but curable infectious disease that damages the peripheral nerves and targets the skin, eyes, nose, and muscles.
