Pictures of Leprosy Symptoms - Skin Lesions and Nerve Damage

Recognizing Leprosy Symptoms in Pictures

Leprosy, also called Hansen's disease, is an infection that causes skin lesions, nerve damage, and disability if left untreated. Understanding the early signs and symptoms is key for prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid progression to irreversible nerve injury and deformity.

What Does Leprosy Look Like?

Leprosy stems from a slow-growing bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae that attacks nerves and skin. The disease presents across a spectrum correlating with immune response:

• Tuberculoid (paucibacillary) leprosy showing limited symptoms
• Borderline (multibacillary) forms with widespread lesions
• Lepromatous (multibacillary) leprosy producing extensive skin thickening and nodules

Tuberculoid Leprosy Symptoms

In the milder tuberculoid form, symptoms start as:

• Red or coppery patches on the skin that may lose sensation
• Nerve pain or numbness
• Swollen nerves
• Ulcers on the hands, feet, and face

Patches typically arise on cooler areas like buttocks, thighs, and back of limbs. A defining feature is sensation loss within the rash borders.

Borderline Leprosy Characteristics

Borderline leprosy falls between the two extremes. Symptoms may include:

• Skin lesions with reduced or absent sensation
• Raised inflamed patches that can be bumpy, flat, or shiny
• Nerve involvement leading to numbness or weakness
• Hair loss or loss of sweating in rash areas

Rashes start as reddish or tan before becoming darker brown and more defined. Borderline leprosy is difficult to diagnose based on appearance alone.

Lepromatous Leprosy Presentation

The most severe type sees extensive skin issues and disability. Signs include:

• Widespread bumpy skin lesions
• Plaques and nodules on the face, torso, and limbs
• Skin thickening with ridges and folds
• Hair loss including eyebrows and lashes
• Nerve damage sometimes causing muscle atrophy and paralysis

In lepromatous leprosy infection spreads rapidly as numbness prevents patients noticing additional lesions.

Causes and Transmission

Mycobacterium leprae spreads via nasal droplets from untreated cases. Prolonged close contact facilitates transmission to people with weakened immune systems.

While leprosy is not highly contagious, susceptibility depends on:

• Intensity of exposure
• Age of contact
• Nutritional and immune status

On average, symptoms manifest 4 to 10 years after infection, but may arise sooner or much later.

Who Gets Leprosy?

Those at higher leprosy contraction risk include:

• Contact with an infected person (especially respiratory secretions)
• Poor nutrition
• Poverty
• Weakened immunity
• Genetic factors

While now very rare in most countries, over 200,000 global new cases arise annually typically in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Complications and Advanced Symptoms

Without treatment, leprosy causes escalating nerve damage and devastating effects like:

• Inability to feel pain leading to burns and injuries
• Loss of digits or limbs due to repeated trauma
• Facial disfigurement and erosion of nose cartilage
• Blindness from eye damage
• Impotence
• Kidney failure

Early antibiotic treatment prevents most complications. But nerve injury prior to diagnosis can still cause long-term issues.

Getting Diagnosed

Diagnosis involves examining skin lesions and assessing nerve impairment. Specialists may also order tests like:

• Skin biopsy - Examining skin samples for bacteria under the microscope
• Nerve test - Measuring nerve conduction speed and responses
• Blood test - Detecting leprosy antibodies or DNA to confirm diagnosis

Caught early, leprosy causes minimal issues. But over 50% of new patients already show some disability - highlighting the need for better awareness and access to healthcare worldwide.

Leprosy vs Other Skin Conditions

Doctors must rule out other potential causes with similar visible symptoms like:

• Psoriasis
• Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
• Granuloma annulare
• Lupus
• Diabetes
• Vitiligo
• Syphilis

What distinguishes leprosy is reduced feeling within rash borders combined with nerve enlargement and damage. Consultation with a dermatologist helps differentiate leprosy from other skin disorders.

Treating Leprosy

A combination of antibiotics taken for 6 months up to 1 year eliminates leprosy bacteria. Unfortunately, this may not reverse established nerve problems.

Medications like thalidomide help curb nerve inflammation and damage if applied early before extensive scarring occurs.

It is vital to prevent existing wounds or injuries and safeguard insensitive extremities once diagnosed. Catching and controlling leprosy prevents further transmission too.

Outlook for Leprosy Patients

The stigma around leprosy has reduced in recent decades as disfigurement becomes rare with modern medicine. Still discrimination persists in certain areas.

Prognosis depends on several key factors:

• Early detection - Preventing advanced nerve injury and disability
• Access to medication - Stopping bacteria before major skin or nerve destruction
• Avoiding re-exposure - Preventing reinfection or drug-resistance
• Ongoing wound care - Protecting numb skin areas from harm

While not curable, timely World Health Organization recommended multi-drug therapy now renders leprosy non-infectious and prevents most deformity.

Preventing Leprosy

Reducing new cases involves:

• Raising awareness of early signs for prompt treatment
• Improving socioeconomic conditions
• Immunizing contacts of new patients
• Screening and surveillance in endemic regions

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination offers some protection against leprosy for up to 10 years. New vaccines now undergoing testing aim to deliver stronger, longer-lasting immunity.

Leprosy Outlook

Increased leprosy awareness, testing and reporting will help reach an eventual zero transmission rate worldwide. While eradication remains challenging, the WHO has targeted reducing deformity and stigma related to this now highly treatable disease.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.