Treatment of leprosy/Hansen's disease in the early 21st century.
Leprosy, or Hansen's disease (HD), is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a slowly dividing mycobacterium that has evolved to be an intracellular parasite, causing skin lesions and nerve damage. Less than 5% of people exposed to M. leprae develop clinical disease. Host cell-mediated resistance determines whether an individual will develop paucibacillary or multibacillary disease. Hansen's disease is a worldwide disease with about 150 new cases reported annually in the United States. Effective anti-mycobacterial treatments are available, and many patients experience severe reversal and erythema nodosum leprosum reactions that also require treatment. Leprosy has been the target of a World Health Organization multiple drug therapy campaign to eliminate it as a national public health problem in member countries, but endemic regions persist. In the United States, the National Hansen's Disease Program has primary responsibility for medical care, research, and information.
Worobec
Sophie M
SM
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612-7300, USA. drsophie@sbcglobal.net
D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
D007917:Leprostatic Agents