01561nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653000900051653001100060653002600071653001100097653001100108653001000119653001200129653000900141653001600150653000900166100001300175700001300188700001100201700001200212700001400224700001500238245012700253300001100380490000700391520083500398022001401233       1986                            d  c198610aAged10aBiopsy10aEpidemiologic Methods10aFemale10aHumans10aItaly10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aSkin1 aPaties C1 aSchena C1 aPiva G1 aBassi F1 aDei Cas A1 aAlberici F00aHansen's disease: a new endemic focus in the Piacenza Province? A description of four diagnosed cases by cutaneous biopsy.  a125-300 v653 a<p>Four cases of Hansen's disease (two lepromatous leprosy, one tuberculoid leprosy and one indeterminate leprosy) diagnosed from 1982 to today in Piacenza with histological and ultrastructural data are described in this study. Two cases (one lepromatous leprosy and one indeterminate leprosy) are probably imported, while the other two are apparently autochthonous. In all the cases the diagnosis or the suspicion of the disease are triggered after histological examination of the cutaneous biopsy, without any pre-existing clinical suspicion. In the discussion of the epidemiological significance of the number of cases the authors hypothesize the possible formation of an endemic area in Piacenza and intend to call attention of medical officials to the alarming fact of the probable existence of Hansen's disease in Italy.</p>  a0021-2547