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Leprosy (Hansen's disease)

Lepra (morbus Hansen) · Lepra (Hansenova nemoc)

What it is

A slow bacterium that attacks skin and nerves; curable with six to twelve months of pills, but nerve damage left untreated leads to injuries and deformity.

Symptoms & signs

  • Pale or reddish skin patches without feeling
  • thick tender nerves
  • numb hands and feet
  • weakness of hands and feet
  • nasal stuffiness and nosebleeds

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Sudden painful red eye or loss of sight
  • see a doctor soon New weakness of a hand or foot, or a foot drop
  • see a doctor soon Painful, swollen nerves or red, painful skin lumps
  • see a doctor soon A pale, numb skin patch

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Skin smear and biopsy
  • multidrug therapy (rifampicin, dapsone, clofazimine)
  • steroids for nerve reactions
  • foot and hand care, reconstructive surgery

Natural & lifestyle

  • Early diagnosis of contacts
  • protect numb hands and feet

Emerging & experimental

  • Single-dose rifampicin for contacts
  • vaccines (LepVax)

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Chaulmoogra oil — the old traditional remedy, replaced by antibiotics anecdotal / traditional
  • Neem and traditional skin remedies — anecdotal anecdotal / traditional
  • Vitamin D — linked to the immune response; untested early / small studies

ICD codes