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Symptoms & Detection

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

©2025 The Malaysian Leprosy Relief Association

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