Leprosy – Treatment, Myths and Reality
Dr.Kut | Jun 30, 2010 | Comments 0
Leprosy is an infection caused by mycobacterium leprae bacteria. The infection appears after a long duration of incubation period. This period can be as long as 5 to 7 years. People have many myths associated with this disease. It is like other diseases and can be handles with care. For that you must know the symptoms first.
Symptoms of Leprosy:
Symptoms let in reddened or dry out patches of skin. The first sign of leprosy is generally spots on the skin that might be somewhat redder, darker, or lighter than the individual’s conventional skin colour and these spots are altogether desensitized to touch and heat. Step by step this skin contagion could lead to expanses of swelling up and lumps, which could lead to grave disfiguring if they appear on the face. Additional troubles that an individual might acquire let in tingling or numbing sensation in the appendages, sightlessness or loss of fingers and toes. Leprosy could besides cause muscle weakness that could lead to skeletal deformities.
Treatment of Leprosy:
As a few leprosy bacterium are resistive to certain antibiotics, a compounding of antibiotics is ordered to care for the disease. The type and particular dose of these antibiotics will depend upon the type and severity of the condition.
Common Drugs used for Leprosy Treatment:
- Dapsone,
- rifampin and
- clofazimine
During the course of untreated or even treated leprosy, the immune system might bring forth inflammatory responses. So, anti-inflammatory medicine might in addition to be prescribed to bring down inflammation. As antibiotics don’t reverse any harm or disfigurement, advance diagnosing and treatment are keys to minimizing complications from the disease.
Believing the bacteria are very hard to destroy, antibiotic drug treatment has to be kept going for a long time period. Depending upon the severity of the infection and the physician assessment, treatment might carry on anyplace from six months to many years. Normally a patient aching from lepromatous leprosy has to take medicine for the rest of his life.
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Filed Under: Skin, Hair and Nails
