In the world there are many diseases that it is better not to face. However, you still need to know about them in order to be able to protect yourself from infection. This is exactly what Hansen's disease is.
What it is?
В самом начале нужно понять, что представляет is this problem. Leprosy - what is this disease? This disease is infectious in nature, it is caused by special microbacteria. It is characterized by a long course, as well as lesions of the skin, nervous system, internal organs, musculoskeletal system and mucous membranes. It is worth saying that leprosy has been known since ancient times. She was feared and feared, since at that time she was an incurable and very terrible disease. However, modern scientists say that it can only be infected with prolonged contact.
Prevalence of disease
Обязательно надо сказать, где распространена leprosy. The disease is mainly localized on the African continent and in Asia. However, it is also found in Latin America and Oceania. But still the record for the incidence are India, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Madagascar, Brazil, Nepal and Nigeria. If we talk about numbers, then today there are about 180 thousand patients with this diagnosis. Most of them, about 80%, live in India. If we talk about Russia, today there are about 600 people on its territory with this diagnosis (mainly in Central Asia).
Leprosy infection
How is Hansen's Disease Transmitted and Is It Possible?getting infected from a sick person - it’s worth mentioning in more detail. A lepra is a companion of poverty, destitution and unsanitary conditions. However, genetically determined features of the human immune system can also cause its occurrence. It is worth saying that approximately 95% of the population of the entire planet is not susceptible to this disease. And even after prolonged contact with the sick, these people cannot become infected. Ways of transmission of the disease are not yet fully understood. However, according to doctors, they may be as follows:
- Airborne path. That is, a healthy person can become infected if the patient coughs, sneezes and even speaks.
- Contact with contaminated soil. It is believed that leprosy is a disease of rural, not urban residents.
- It can be transmitted along with mosquitoes.
- You can also get infected in tattoo parlors or hospitals if dirty instruments are used.
Risk groups
We consider further the disease asleprosy. What kind of disease it is, how it arises is clear. Now we need to talk about the risk group, that is, about people who are more likely to get it:
- These are people who either live or go on business trips to potentially dangerous regions (especially some areas of countries such as India, Egypt, Nepal, China).
- People who have a genetic mutation in the sixth chromosome (at q25). That it affects the susceptibility to infection by this disease.
- Breeding certain animals that may be carriers of the disease can also be dangerous. These are armadillos or chimpanzees.
Occurrence of the disease
Like all serious infectious diseases, leprosycaused by special microbacteria. They enter the body of a healthy person, settle on internal organs and begin to actively proliferate. As a consequence, there are granulomas, special bumps that are created from cells of the immune system. They are formed on the skin, in organs, bones, on the nerve paths. It should be remembered that the symptoms of the disease will vary depending on its type.
Symptoms of tuberculoid leprosy
Лепра (болезнь) подразделяется на несколько типов.The first one is tuberculoid. What, then, will the patient feel? Preferably, the skin is affected, and the nervous system may also be affected. The internal organs in this case most often do not hurt. At the very beginning of the disease, one or several foci of the disease appear on the human body. This may be a plaque, papule or spot (light, with a reddish tinge). Further, if treatment is not started, these foci of the disease begin to merge with each other, forming huge formations with burgundy edges. On the limbs of a person, as well as his face, small formations may occur. In this case, the affected area becomes numb, loses sensitivity. If damage to the nervous system occurs, then near the skin lesions, you can feel the inflamed and thickened nerve trunks. Later, the motor activity of the hands (the so-called bird's paw) and feet (drooping foot syndrome) can be disturbed. In this case, the skin nutrition is broken, it becomes easily vulnerable and brittle. Often develops mutation. This is a spontaneous detachment of the already dead part of the patient's body.
Symptoms of lepromatous type
Hansen's disease can also be lepromatoustype What, then, can happen to a patient? It should be said that this type of disease is the most dangerous, and its course is the most severe. In most cases, the person becomes disabled, and often patients die. Onset of the disease is characterized by the appearance of shiny spots on the skin that are not too different from healthy skin. Sensitivity is preserved. Over time, small tumors begin to form on the body (especially on the face). With the development of the disease, the appearance of a person is more and more distorted. There may be a so-called lion face. Ulcers often appear on these formations, infection occurs, which significantly aggravates the patient's condition. Other symptoms that may appear with the development of the disease:
- In men, orchitis can occur - inflammation of the testicle.
- Sensitivity in the limbs is impaired.
- Finger contractures may form, often mutation occurs.
- Eye damage may occur, leading to blindness.
- Often, the mouth and larynx are affected, leading to a change in voice.
- If granulomas are formed on the internal organs, they interfere with their normal operation.
It also needs to be said that Hansen's disease may have borderline symptoms of two types of illness.
Diagnosis of the disease
Хронические и острые инфекционные заболевания most often can be diagnosed by their external manifestations. The same goes for leprosy. So, to indicate that the patient has a disease, the following key indicators may:
- Characteristic spots on the skin, which lead to thickening of the nerve trunks.
- Identification of specific microbacteria. In this case, the integrity of the granuloma will be compromised, take a scraping from it and examine the contents under a microscope.
Treatment
It is worth saying that earlier leprosy was consideredincurable disease, and patients with similar symptoms were isolated from society. Today, this problem can be completely eliminated. However, it is worth remembering that the treatment of serious diseases, including such as leprosy, is a very long-term event. In this case, the patient is hospitalized in the so-called leprosarium - a special place where he not only undergoes treatment, but also lives, and may even acquire an economy. In this case, all members of the patient's family must also undergo a specialized examination, which helps to identify possible infection. Ways to treat the disease:
- The use of antibiotics.They can eliminate chronic infectious diseases, including leprosy. The type of medication in this case, as well as the duration of its administration, may vary depending on the type of the disease. However, in this disease, the following drugs are most often used: Dapsone, Ofloxacin, Rifampicin.
- Anti-inflammatory therapy will also be required. In such cases, the patient is prescribed a course of the drug "acetylsalicylic acid", sometimes - "Prednisolone."
If the patient has notmicrobacteria that are characteristic of leprosy are detected, and he can go for outpatient treatment. In this case, it will be necessary to fight only with the consequences of the disease and its external manifestations. The person at the same time becomes completely non-infectious for others. In some cases, patients need the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist.
