02659nas a2200241 4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002500054653003100079653001200110653003100122653001400153653003200167653003300199100001300232700001400245245005800259856009100317300002200408490000600430520196700436022001402403 2022 d c01/202210aMycobacterium leprae10aMycobacterium lepromatosis10aleprosy10aNeglected tropical disease10aNutrition10aperipheral neuropathic pain10awhole foods plant-based diet1 aKlowak M1 aBoggild A00aA review of nutrition in neuropathic pain of leprosy. uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9168857/pdf/10.1177_20499361221102663.pdf a204993612211026630 v93 a
Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that continues to burden low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), despite being eliminated as a public health concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000. The causative agents, and , affect nearly 200,000 individuals globally each year, with over 19,000 new cases detected in the Americas in 2020 alone. Canada has experienced an increasing incidence of leprosy, due to rising levels of travel and migration from endemic areas, reaching over 37,000 individuals with leprosy by the end of 2020. Patients experience a spectrum of signs and symptoms including hypopigmented cutaneous macules alongside peripheral neuropathy including peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) and disabling sensory neuropathies. Despite the development of effective and curative therapeutics multidrug therapy (MDT), many barriers to treatment adherence and effective immunological control of the pathogen challenge the care of patients with leprosy. Socioeconomic barriers, such as disability-related social stigma and often undiagnosed nutritional deficiencies, have resulted in heightened disease severity. PNP therapeutics are associated with significant side effects and remain ineffective as the majority of individuals will not experience a greater than 30% reduction of symptoms. Nutrient supplementation is known to be instrumental in reducing host oxidative stress, strengthening the immune system and mitigating comorbidities. Likewise, dietary lifestyle interventions known to be physiologically beneficial have recently emerged as powerful tools conferring neuroprotective effects, potentially mitigating PNP severity. However, a significant knowledge gap concerning the effect of adequate nutrition on host immunological control of leprosy and PNP severity exists. Further evaluation of this relationship will provide key insight into the pathogenesis of leprosy, strengthening the current body of literature.
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