Sunday, 31.01.2021 is World Leprosy Day. On this occasion, we would like to introduce you to the topic, tell you something about its history and describe the disease as such.
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases of mankind. Ancient Indian, Chinese and Egyptian writings already report about the disease. And the Bible also tells of how Jesus healed lepers. Anyone who thinks that this is an old affliction that is no longer to be found today is mistaken. Hundreds of thousands of people still contract leprosy every year. This makes it all the more important to educate people about this disease, which fortunately can be cured today.
But what is leprosy?
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that affects both the skin and the nervous system and, in rare, severe cases, organs and bones. The so-called Mycobacterium leprae causes paralysis and numbness. The course of the disease varies depending on the strength of the immune system. The incubation period (the time between leprosy infection and the outbreak of the disease) is unusually long – on average 5 years. However, it can occur after months, sometimes only after 20 years.
At the beginning, there is usually an uncharacteristic leprosy. Here, vaguely defined spots appear on the skin. These are lighter in colour with dark skin and reddish with light skin. If the disease does not stagnate or heal at this level, but is not stopped by a weakened immune system, then it develops further into tuberculoid, lepromatous or borderline leprosy.
In tuberculoid leprosy, hyperaesthesia, i.e. hypersensitivity of the skin, occurs first. Afterwards, the affected person first loses the sense of warmth and then the sense of touch. This lack of sensation often causes the affected person to injure his or her extremities. These wounds can then become infected. Such mutilations gave leprosy the reputation of causing the fingers to fall off.
Borderline leprosy is the unstable variant of the disease, which progresses differently depending on the immune system. If the immune system is weakened, the pathogen can spread almost unhindered, which then leads to the very contagious lepromatous form. In contrast to tuberculoid leprosy, skin spots tend to be symmetrical here and the nerve infestation is also sometimes symmetrical.
The worst form of the disease is lepromatous leprosy. Here, the bloodstream, the mucous membranes and the lymphatic system are also affected. As a result, parts of the body can become abnormally enlarged, e.g. due to lymphatic congestion. The spots on the skin become nodules and the so-called lepromas gradually disintegrate the face and body. In this final stage, the bones and organs are also affected. It is typical for the disease that the secondary infections are worse than the actual direct consequences of the disease. In the rare cases of death, sufferers succumb to precisely these accompanying symptoms.
Treatment of leprosy
Those who are now panicking and fearing an infection can be calmed. On the one hand, leprosy is mainly found in developing countries, especially India, Brazil, Indonesia and Africa. Secondly, leprosy is not very contagious, especially in the early stages. To become infected, one must have been in contact with an infected person for a long time. Droplet infection is then also only enhanced by a lack of hygiene and a poor immune system.
But even after an infection, all is not lost. Leprosy can be treated very well nowadays and is considered curable. The procedure has been greatly simplified and standardised in recent decades. Depending on the severity of the disease, the affected person receives several antibiotics over a period of several months or years, because antibiotics are known to be the most effective weapon against bacteria.
Disability due to the disease can be prevented by preventive measures. This includes daily skin care, regular physiotherapy, ointment of eyes and increased consideration to avoid sources of danger in everyday life.
Nowadays, mutilations that have already occurred can be improved or even restored through reconstructive surgery.
Concluding words
The WHO’s goal of completely eradicating leprosy by 2005 has unfortunately still not been achieved today. Nevertheless, huge progress has already been made worldwide. Thanks to the improved health situation and medical care, only in the rarest cases do the terrible final stages that turned people into outcasts for centuries still occur. Nevertheless, the disease has not been completely conquered and more than 200,000 people still contract it every year. Therefore, it must not yet disappear from public attention. With our article, we want to make our contribution to ensuring that this does not happen and, of course, we hope that the disease will soon be completely conquered.
You can find more in-depth information on the website of the Leprosy Mission International or on the WHO’s overview site of the disease.