Definition of Leprosy

Leprosy is a disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) (Cherath & Frey, 2015). The word “leprosy is derived from either the Indo-European term lap, which means the removal of scales, or the Greek word for scales, lepra,” (Holloway, 2014). Leprosy is known for M.leprae attacking a patient’s skin and nerves. Without treatment, leprosy can lead to extensive skin lesions, deformities in the face and extremities, disabilities, and even death. The prognosis of leprosy varies depending on what stage the condition has reached when diagnosed. Leprosy progresses slowly and chronically, taking anywhere from six months to 40 years to develop and become evident (Cherath & Frey, 2015). The affected areas of the body are the peripheral nerves in the hands and feet, skin, upper respiratory tract, and mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and eyes. M. leprae can damage the nerve endings of the affected areas and result in a loss of sensation (Cherath & Frey, 2015). The main regions that become permanently damaged or disfigured are the “outer extremities such as the eyes, nose, earlobes, hands, testicles (in men), and feet,” (Cherath & Frey, 2015).

History of Leprosy

Gerhard Armauer Hansen (1841–1912), a Norwegian physician, discovered and identified the rod-shaped bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae, in 1878 (Cherath & Frey, 2015). M.leprae is the bacillus responsible for the cause of leprosy. Due to Hansen’s finding, leprosy is also often referred to Hansen’s disease. Abnormal changes in the skin are usually the indications of the disease. M.leprae prays on body extremities because the bacterium prefers a cooler temperature for its growing environment (Cherath & Frey, 2015). The core of the body is much warmer compared to the limbs, eyes, nose, and other extremities. Bacterial infections in these areas become flat and red, and then the lesions progressively become larger and widen. These lesions stay on the skin and do not penetrate very deeply underneath the skin to maintain its cool temperature environment. The loss of nerve sensations leads to a high rate of injuries and infection in the affected extremities. Infected open wounds without nerve sensation are then exposed and cause gangrene, death and decomposition of body tissue (Cherath & Frey, 2015).