TY - JOUR
KW - General Energy
KW - tratamento
KW - Peripheral nerves
KW - Thermography
KW - Microcirculation
AU - Sabino EFP
AU - Fernandes dos Santos D
AU - Eulálio Antues D
AU - Garcia LP
AU - Gonçalves MA
AU - Vieira da Costa A
AU - Bernardes Goulart IM
AB - <p><strong>Objective:&nbsp;</strong>This study analyzed the potential of thermography to detect abnormalities in the skin temperature of the hands of leprosy patients, and thus to provide evidence of autonomic impairment in these patients.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>In this cross-sectional study, 22 healthy subjects and 48 leprosy patients (16 borderline tuberculoid (BT), 10 mid-borderline (BB), 10 borderline lepromatous (BL) and 12 lepromatous (LL) patients) were recruited in a leprosy national reference center in Brazil. The patients were diagnosed based on clinical and laboratory tests. Infrared thermography was used to measure skin temperature at ten sites in each hand.</p>

<p><strong>Result:&nbsp;</strong>The skin temperature, observed by IR thermography images of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hands, was diminished in leprosy patients, compared of healthy subjects (p &lt; 0.05). The LL patients were the most affected group. Considering the presence of asymmetric temperature in two or more ‘regions of interest’ (ROI) as a possible abnormality, only 13.6% (3/22) of healthy individuals showed this asymmetry, while in the group of patients with leprosy 50.0% (24/48) showed an asymmetrical pattern in hand temperature distribution (p &lt; 0.05).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion:&nbsp;</strong>This study presented a potential benefit in using IR thermography to evaluate asymmetry of skin temperature in the hands of leprosy patients, thus detecting peripheral autonomic dysfunction.&nbsp;</p>

BT - Leprosy Review
DO - 10.47276/lr.94.4.299
IS - 4
LA - Eng
N2 - <p><strong>Objective:&nbsp;</strong>This study analyzed the potential of thermography to detect abnormalities in the skin temperature of the hands of leprosy patients, and thus to provide evidence of autonomic impairment in these patients.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>In this cross-sectional study, 22 healthy subjects and 48 leprosy patients (16 borderline tuberculoid (BT), 10 mid-borderline (BB), 10 borderline lepromatous (BL) and 12 lepromatous (LL) patients) were recruited in a leprosy national reference center in Brazil. The patients were diagnosed based on clinical and laboratory tests. Infrared thermography was used to measure skin temperature at ten sites in each hand.</p>

<p><strong>Result:&nbsp;</strong>The skin temperature, observed by IR thermography images of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hands, was diminished in leprosy patients, compared of healthy subjects (p &lt; 0.05). The LL patients were the most affected group. Considering the presence of asymmetric temperature in two or more ‘regions of interest’ (ROI) as a possible abnormality, only 13.6% (3/22) of healthy individuals showed this asymmetry, while in the group of patients with leprosy 50.0% (24/48) showed an asymmetrical pattern in hand temperature distribution (p &lt; 0.05).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion:&nbsp;</strong>This study presented a potential benefit in using IR thermography to evaluate asymmetry of skin temperature in the hands of leprosy patients, thus detecting peripheral autonomic dysfunction.&nbsp;</p>

PB - Lepra
PY - 2023
SP - 299
EP - 308
T2 - Leprosy Review
TI - Evaluation of skin temperature in the hands of leprosy patients to detect peripheral autonomic dysfunction, by infrared thermography
UR - https://leprosyreview.org/article/94/4/20-23061
VL - 94
SN - 2162-8807
ER -