Definition
Leprosy - also known as Hansen's disease - is a chronic infectious disease that mainly affects the skin, mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, eyes and peripheral nerves. Unlike what one may mistakenly believe, leprosy is not an extremely contagious disease and can be effectively cured.
There are three different forms of leprosy: tubercoloid leprosy, lepromatous leprosy and borderline leprosy.
Causes
Leprosy is caused by a bacterial infection sustained by a particular microorganism: Mycobacterium leprae .
It is believed that the infection occurs through the aerial diffusion of droplets of saliva and nasal secretions through coughing and sneezing of infected individuals.
However, it is important to point out that many of the people who are infected do not develop the disease, due to the adequate response of their immune system.
Symptoms
The incubation period of Mycobacterium leprae varies from a few months to 7-10 years.
Among the first symptoms that appear in patients suffering from leprosy, we find numbness, weakness, lack of sensitivity to touch and edema caused by the affinity of M. leprae for peripheral nerve endings. Furthermore, hypopigmented spots characterized by hypoesthesia appear on the skin.
The pathology can evolve favoring the appearance of macules, papules or lepromas (depending on the form of leprosy that develops) which - in turn - lead to the onset of severe ulceration and tissue destruction.
Leprosy can also affect other organs and tissues, causing damage to the nasal mucosa, eye damage, photophobia, glaucoma, blindness, kidney damage and even chronic renal failure, erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia and sterility.
If not properly treated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to nerves, eyes, nose, muscles, bones, testicles and kidneys.
Information on Leprosy - Drugs and Leprosy Care is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Leprosy - Drugs and Leprosy Treatment.
drugs
Being an infectious disease, the drugs used in the treatment of leprosy are antibiotics.
More in detail, the treatment of leprosy involves the so-called multi-drug therapy, ie the use of two or more drugs in combination.
In addition, the doctor may decide to prescribe corticosteroid drugs to reduce the inflammation and edema caused by the disease itself.
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Antibiotics
The first-line treatment that is undertaken for the treatment of leprosy is the combination of two antibiotics: dapsone and rifampicin (Rifadin ®). Dapsone should be taken every day at a dose of 100 mg. Rifampicin, on the other hand, should be taken once a month at a dose of 600 mg. To these two drugs an additional active ingredient can be added: clofazimine, which must be taken daily at a dose of 50 mg.
The therapy is very long and can last from six months to two or more years.
In any case, the treatment must be carried out under the strict control of the doctor who must also establish the exact doses of drugs that must be administered.
Another drug that can be used to treat leprosy is:
- Clarithromycin (Macladin ®, Klacid ®, Veclam ®): clarithromycin is an antibiotic belonging to the class of macrolides. When administered orally, the dose of clarithromycin usually used in adults and adolescents over 12 years of age is 250-500 mg of drug, to be taken every 12 hours.
In children from six months of age to twelve years of age, however, the dose usually administered orally is 7.5 mg / kg of body weight, to be taken twice a day.
However, the exact amount of active ingredient to be used must be established by the doctor.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids can be used to control inflammation and to reduce edema of peripheral nerve endings caused by the disease.
Generally, corticosteroids are administered orally. The one most commonly used is prednisone (Deltacortene ®). The maintenance dose should not exceed 10-15 mg a day.
In any case, the exact amount of prednisone to be taken must be established by the doctor who may decide to administer a higher initial dose and then gradually reduce it - depending on the patient's response to therapy - until adequate symptom control is achieved.
