REVIEW ON LEPROSY by
D. Santhi KrupaAssistant Professor,
Department of pharmacologyVIJAYA INSTITUTE OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES FOR WOMEN
VV
Introduction Epidemiology Causative Agent Classification of Leprosy Cardinal Features of Leprosy Diagnosis of Leprosy Treatment MultidrugTherapy In Leprosy Complications of MDT Relapses Preventive Measures Conclusion
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by
Mycobacterium leprae, discovered by Norwegian physician
in 1873.
The first known written reference to the disease was found
on Egyptian papyrus in about 1550 B.C. The disease was
well recognized in ancient China, Egypt, and India.
According to the WHO research, India continues to
record the highest number of new leprosy cases in
the world.
It currently has about 54% of all the new leprosy
cases in that 48,000 women and 13,610 children are
newly detected with leprosy
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by
Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast, rod-shaped bacilli.Different forms of existence of Mycobacterium
leprae Solid
Granular
Fragments Globi
The maximum incubation period reported
is as long as 30 years
The average incubation period is between
three and ten years
Nasal secretions Skin
Ridley Jopling Classification
Lepromatous leprosy -Involvement of skin, nerves,
reticuloendothelial system Tuberculoid leprosy - Involvement of skin or nerves or both
Borderline leprosy -Skin lesions are macular, infiltrated, or
both, with the earliest lesions being macules that are erythematous or hypopigmented
Indeterminate leprosy -single macule with uncharacteristic histologyWHO classification of Leprosy :
a) Paucibacillary (PB)
b) Multibacillary (MB)
According to WHO, features of Leprosy include
a) PAUCIBACILLARY (PB) PATCHES:
• Hypopigmentation
• Anesthesia (Loss of sensation)
• Dryness (Loss of sweating)
• Loss of hair growth (Not scalp hair)
• Macular/ Elevated/ Erythematous
b) MULTIBACILLARY (MB):
• Nasal stuffiness
• Involvement of peripheral nerves
• Upper palate perforation
• Loss of eyebrows (Madarosis)
• Lagopthalmos (unilateral/bilateral)
• Gynecomastia
Skin Smears Test
Bacteriological Examination
The Bacteriological index (BI)
The Morphological index (MI)
Thin Layer Chromatography profiles
In MB patients, there will be decreased levels of SOD,
glutathione .
They are unable to produce sufficient amount of antioxidant to
cope up with the increased oxidative stress in them.
Providing nutritional supplementation may present a novel
approach for fast recovery. Administration of exogenous
antioxidants like vitamin C, tocopherols would prevent tissue
damage and make the patient therapeutically benefited.
Classification of Antileprotic drugs:
1) Sulfone - Dapsone(DDS)
2) Phenazine derivative - Clofazimine
3) Antitubercular drugs – Rifampicin, Ethionamide
4) Other antibiotics – Ofloxacin, Minocycline
Dapsone Dapsone is a competitive antagonist of
paraminobenzoic acid (PABA)
Prevents normal bacterial utilization Of PABA for the Synthesis Of Folic Acid
Bacteriostatic or weakly bactericidal against M. leprae
Clofazimine (CLF):CLF was a phenazine dye, which
preferentially binds to mycobacterial DNA inhibits both mycobacterial growth and exerts a slow bactericidal effect on M. leprae.
Rifampicin :
It’s a highly bactericidal against M. leprae by inhibiting bacterial RNA synthesis and blocks RNA transcription.
Ofloxacin (OFLX): OFLX, a synthetic fluoroquinolone, acts as a
specific inhibitor of bacterial DNA gyrase and has shown efficiency in the treatment of M. leprae .
Minocycline :
It inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding into 30s and 50s ribosomal subunits of susceptible bacteria.
Type of Leprosy
Daily, Self-Administered
Monthly Supervised
Months of Treatment
Multibacillary Dapsone 100 mg Rifampicin 600 mg
12
6
Paucibacillary Dapsone 100 mg Rifampicin 600 mg
Clofazimine 300 mg
MDT and Drug-resistance Leprosy reaction and its treatment
Type 1 lepra reactions or reversal reactions are associated with the development of M. leprae antigenic determinants.Type 2 lepra reactions (erythema nodosum leprosum), are associated with circulation and tissue deposition of immune complexes.
The relapse rates after release from Dapsone have varied from 1% to 17% for tuberculoid leprosy and from 2% to 30% for lepromatous leprosy.
Vaccination against the leprosy bacillus may be considered. BCG vaccination is reported to be partially effective for protection against leprosy
A mixed vaccine containing BCG and ICRC bacilli is under trails for clinical use.
Throughout the history, the badly affected leprosy patients are hated by the families and communities. In present scenario with the advancement in the treatment, most cases are recovered. If there are new cases in India, in future they can be reduced by using the mixed vaccines and the severity can be decreased by detecting the disease in the early stages by simple techniques like TLC.
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