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leprosy (lepīrә-se) a communicable, but not readily contagious, inflammatory disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, with the bacillus entering the body through the skin or mucous membranes; it has occurred in every country in the world, but is now primarily a tropical disease. It is not inherited and is not highly contagious, although the source of infection is known to be the discharge from lesions of persons with active cases. Two primary types are recognized, the lepromatous type and the tuberculoid type, with a spectrum in between called borderline types. All types involve production of granulomatous lesions of the skin, mucous membranes, and peripheral nervous system; leprosy often results in severe disability but is rarely fatal. Called also Hansen disease. adj., leprotīic, lepīrous., adj. borderline leprosy
name given to immunologically unstable types of leprosy that may evolve into either the lepromatous type or the tuberculoid
type. lepromatous leprosy
the most serious type of leprosy; open sores appear on the face, earlobes, and forehead, and there is a discharge containing
large numbers of bacilli. If the patient does not get treatment, the disease progresses until fingers and toes disintegrate;
there may also be other disfigurements due to trauma to parts that have lost feeling. Death may occur in extreme cases, although
it is more often due to a secondary infection such as tuberculosis or pneumonia. tuberculoid leprosy
a type less malignant than the lepromatous type, often self-limited and having few leprosy bacilli in evicence; nerve damage
is significant, with loss of sensation on sections of the skin resulting in muscle atrophy that can cause contraction of the
hand into a claw.
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