Leprosy symptoms vary depending on the type, with both types causing serious complications if left untreated. Antibiotics can now treat the disease, but early treatment is recommended as it can cause permanent disability. Symptoms include a rash, pain and weakness in extremities, and nerve damage. Late-stage symptoms can lead to blindness, loss of extremities, and infertility. Prompt treatment can prevent serious symptoms, but damage cannot be reversed.
The symptoms of leprosy can vary depending on whether the patient has tuberculoid or lepromatous leprosy. Both types of leprosy are usually caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, although tuberculoid leprosy is often thought of as a less severe form of the disease. Both forms of leprosy can develop serious complications if left untreated and can lead to permanent disability. Initial symptoms of leprosy usually include a rash, which may or may not be widespread; pain and weakness in the extremities; and dryness and tightening of the skin. More serious complications can occur as the disease progresses, including loss of toes and fingers, blindness, nerve damage, and infertility.
Antibiotics can now be given to treat Hansen’s disease, the disease long known as leprosy. Some sources believe that leprosy remains a serious public health problem and that there may be up to two million people worldwide today suffering from the long-term consequences of leprosy complications. Early treatment is usually recommended, as treatment often cannot reverse the damage leprosy does to the body.
The first symptoms of leprosy usually include a rash. Lepromatous leprosy typically causes the most prevalent rash, which can appear on the ears, face, wrists, elbows, buttocks, and knees. The rash may be bumpy or smooth, pale or distinctive. In cases of tuberculoid leprosy, the rash is usually smaller and paler and appears in only a few patches on the torso, hands, and feet. Many patients experience reduced sensation of touch in the area of a leprosy rash.
As the disease progresses, the symptoms of leprosy can become severe. Symptoms of late-stage tuberculoid leprosy often include extreme pain and weakness in the feet and hands. Skin may start to feel dry and stiff. Figures can drop. Nerve damage can occur, often in the nerves surrounding the knee and elbow joints. Tuberculoid leprosy can damage eye tissue, eventually leading to vision loss and blindness.
Lepromatous leprosy is often considered more serious than tuberculoid leprosy. As the disease progresses, the eyelashes and eyebrows may start to fall out. Facial skin may become thicker. Lepromatous leprosy often has devastating effects on facial structures. It can cause nasal congestion and bleeding, leading to eventual nose leakage.
Later symptoms of lepromatous leprosy can damage the reproductive tract. In men, symptoms of leprosy can include gyno or breast growth and the development of scar tissue in the testicles. Infertility can result. Lymph nodes in the armpits and groin can swell.
With prompt treatment, many of the more serious symptoms of leprosy can be prevented. Nerve damage, blindness, infertility, and loss of extremities generally cannot be reversed, but treatment with antibiotics can halt the course of the disease to prevent further debilitation.
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