Leprosy in the Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung from 1988 to 2004: a clinical and histopathologic study of 13 cases.
BACKGROUND
Leprosy has long been in Taiwan, but it has never been eradicated. Incidental cases are easily overlooked nowadays because most younger dermatologists are unfamiliar with this disease.


METHODS
We review and analyze 13 cases diagnosed as leprosy at the Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung from 1988 to 2004, all of which were histopathologically proven.


RESULTS
The ages of the 13 recruited patients ranged from 31 to 73 (mean, 58.6) years, without a gender preference (male: female, 7:6). Two male patients were under 40 years old; one was a foreign worker from Thailand and the other was a local person in Penghu working as the chief officer on a fishing boat. The most-common clinical subtype was lepromatous leprosy (5/13), followed by borderline lepromatous leprosy, borderline tuberculoid leprosy, and tuberculoid leprosy (each 2/13), and then borderline leprosy and indeterminate leprosy (each 1/13). The initial clinical impression before the histopathological diagnosis included granuloma annulare, generalized eczema, lymphoma, syphilis, papular urticaria, cutaneous tuberculous infection, Sweet's syndrome, erythema annulare centrifugum, and hematoma. Most of these patients only received irregular treatment after the diagnosis was made and were soon lost to follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
With increasing numbers of foreign workers and immigrants living in Taiwan in recent years, leprosy seems to have become a challenging diagnosis for younger dermatologists. Dermatologists should keep this ancient disease in mind and not overlook it. Because of the necessity of prolonged medication, complete treatment and long-term follow-up of leprosy cases will remain a major problem in public health.
Wang
Cheng-Yu
CY
Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Huang
Po-Han
PH
Cheng
Yu-Wen
YW
Ho
Ji-Chen
JC
Chen
Wen-Chieh
WC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013624:Taiwan; D013997:Time Factors