Case of lepromatous leprosy misdiagnosed as systemic sclerosis.
Hansen's disease (HD) is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The worldwide prevalence rate of HD has decreased gradually over the years. The clinical manifestations of HD are extensive, with involvement of the skin and various organs, and these can resemble those of many rheumatic diseases. Our patient initially presented with gradual sclerotic skin change and slight sclerodactyly with Raynaud's phenomenon, which is frequently observed in systemic sclerosis. However, a skin biopsy with acid-fast stain later confirmed lepromatous leprosy. We report this case to emphasize the role of dermatologists for applying a systematic approach to the skin lesions of HD, which has become difficult to detect because of its rapidly declining prevalence rate.
Department of Dermatology, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jin Yong
JY
Lee
So Eun
SE
Park
Soo Jung
SJ
Shin
Chul Woo
CW
Kim
Sang Seok
SS
Kim
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
Hansen's disease; lepromatous leprosy; sclerodactyly; scleroderma; systemic sclerosis