01721nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001653002600042653002700068653001200095653001500107653001100122100001500133700001200148700001500160700001700175700001900192700001400211700001900225245009000244300000900334490000900343520110100352022001401453       2015                            d10aPeripheral neuropathy10aNerve conduction study10aleprosy10aEvaluation10aBrazil1 aJardim M R1 aVital R1 aHacker M A1 aNascimento M1 aBalassiano S L1 aSarno E N1 aIllarramendi X00aLeprosy neuropathy evaluated by NCS is independent of the patient's infectious state.  a5-100 v131C3 a<p><strong>INTRODUCTION: </strong>Leprosy causes nerve injury, which mimics clinical and neurophysiological conditions, rendering it an excellent model of peripheral neuropathy.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>A retrospective study including 822 nerve conduction studies (NCS) of 509 patients was developed to appraise the electrophysiological pattern of leprosy neuropathy. NCS of motor and sensory nerves performed before, during, and after multidrug therapy (MDT) were analyzed.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>During the three periods of MDT, while NCS alterations were similar regarding extension, topography, damage severity, and type of lesion, NCS showed that sensory was more frequent (sural nerve) (92-96%) than motor impairment (70-77%) (ulnar nerve).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>Once axonal loss has been installed, nerve function is little affected by inflammatory, immune and/or bacterial events since chronic neuropathy has been established, inevitably leading to the well-known leprosy sequelae occurring at any time before and/or after leprosy diagnosis.</p>
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