​​​Symptoms

Common symptoms present in the different types of leprosy include:

• a runny nose

• dry scalp

• eye problems

• skin lesions

• muscle weakness

• reddish skin

• smooth, shiny, diffuse thickening of facial skin, ear, and hand

• loss of sensation in fingers and toes

• thickening of peripheral nerves

• a flat nose from the destruction of nasal cartilages

• changes in phonation and other aspects of speech production

• atrophy of the testes and impotence may occur

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The average incubation period is five years, and patients may begin to notice symptoms within the first year or up to 20 years after infection.

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The first noticeable sign of leprosy is often the development of pale or pink coloured patches of skin that may be insensitive to temperature or pain.

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Patches of discoloured skin are sometimes accompanied or preceded by nerve problems including numbness or tenderness in the hands or feet.

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Secondary infections (additional bacterial or viral infections) can result in tissue loss, causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed, as cartilage is absorbed into the body.

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Detection

Leprosy is diagnosed based on a combination of clinical symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory tests.
 

Clinical Symptoms:

• Skin lesions: Hypopigmented (light-colored) or erythematous (red) patches with raised borders or nodules.

• Numbness or loss of sensation in the affected areas.

• Thickened or enlarged peripheral nerves.

• Muscle weakness or paralysis.

• Eye problems, such as blurred vision or blindness.

• Physical Examination:

• Examination of skin lesions for characteristic features.

• Palpation of peripheral nerves for thickening or tenderness.

• Assessment of muscle strength and reflexes.
   

Laboratory Tests:

• Skin smear: A sample of skin from the lesion is examined under a microscope for the presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), the bacteria that causes leprosy.

• Nerve biopsy: A sample of affected nerve tissue is examined for AFB and other pathological changes.

• PCR (polymerase chain reaction): A molecular test that detects the DNA of M. leprae, the bacterium responsible for leprosy.

 

Serological tests: Blood tests that can detect antibodies against M. leprae.

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