@article{23025,
  keywords = {Antirheumatic Agents, Arthritis, Infectious, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Diagnosis, Differential, Female, Humans, Leprostatic Agents, leprosy, Middle Aged},
  author = {Henriques CC and Lop{\'e}z B and Mestre T and Grima B and Panarra A and Riso N},
  title = {Leprosy and rheumatoid arthritis: consequence or association?},
  abstract = {<p>Leprosy or Hansen{\textquoteright}s disease is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae with a high prevalence in some developing countries however, it is rarely seen in non-endemic regions. Arthritis has been described in all types of Hansen{\textquoteright}s disease. Chronic arthritis is known to exist even in paucibacillary forms, resolved or treated disease and in patients without reaction, suggesting a perpetuated inflammatory process. In these cases leprosy can mimic some autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. When a patient with a history of leprosy presents with a symmetric, distal, polyarthritis the diagnosis may not be linear. Possibly it is a rheumatoid-like leprous arthritis with M leprae acting as the trigger element for the chronic process or it is an overlap condition, with a concomitant rheumatoid arthritis? A case report of a patient with a chronic inflammatory arthritis with 10 years of evolution is presented. The differential diagnosis between leprous and rheumatoid arthritis is discussed.</p>},
  year = {2012},
  journal = {BMJ case reports},
  volume = {2012},
  month = {2012 Aug 13},
  issn = {1757-790X},
  doi = {10.1136/bcr.12.2011.5346},
  language = {eng},
}