Hansen's disease (leprosy), though not a common condition in the United States, can be found in some localities among patients who come to the emergency room for treatment. Hansen's disease (HD) is a chronic systemic infectious granulomatous disease involving principally the skin, mucosa, nerves, and eyes. The causative organism, Mycobacterium leprae, is neither highly contagious nor aggressive, but rapid alterations in the immunologic response to M leprae in affected tissues can result in acute exacerbations termed "reactions." Since most of the symptoms and morbidity in HD are a consequence of these reactional states, they must be recognized and treated early to prevent permanent sequelae, especially neurologic and ophthalmologic. Drug therapy, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery all play a role in minimizing the injury caused by reactions.
BT - Southern medical journal C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1990459?dopt=Abstract DA - 1991 Feb DO - 10.1097/00007611-199102000-00021 IS - 2 J2 - South. Med. J. LA - eng N2 -Hansen's disease (leprosy), though not a common condition in the United States, can be found in some localities among patients who come to the emergency room for treatment. Hansen's disease (HD) is a chronic systemic infectious granulomatous disease involving principally the skin, mucosa, nerves, and eyes. The causative organism, Mycobacterium leprae, is neither highly contagious nor aggressive, but rapid alterations in the immunologic response to M leprae in affected tissues can result in acute exacerbations termed "reactions." Since most of the symptoms and morbidity in HD are a consequence of these reactional states, they must be recognized and treated early to prevent permanent sequelae, especially neurologic and ophthalmologic. Drug therapy, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery all play a role in minimizing the injury caused by reactions.
PY - 1991 SP - 237 EP - 41 T2 - Southern medical journal TI - Reactional states in Hansen's disease: practical aspects of emergency management. VL - 84 SN - 0038-4348 ER -