• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Leprosy

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Hansen's disease

Treatment:

Medications used to eliminate the microorganism and to reduce symptoms include:

• Dapsone
• Rifampin
• Clofazimine
• Ethionamide
• Aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide are used for the control of inflammation (e.g., "erythema nodosum leprosum") that may occur with therapy

Expectations (prognosis):

Early recognition is important. Early treatment limits damage by the disease, renders the person noninfectious, and allows for a normal lifestyle.

Complications:

• permanent nerve damage
• cosmetic disfigurement

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if signs or symptoms described here occur, especially following exposure. Cases of leprosy in the United States need to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Review Date: 10/27/2005
• Reviewed By: Daniel Levy, M.D., Ph.D., Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.