01234nas a2200181   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002800055653001100083653001200094653001800106100001200124245006700136300001000203490000700213520081800220022001401038       1995                            d  c1995 Jul10aDiagnosis, Differential10aHumans10aleprosy10aUnited States1 aStyle A00aEarly diagnosis and treatment of leprosy in the United States.  a172-80 v523 a<p>Leprosy is a chronic disease of the skin and peripheral nerves that afflicts more than 5 million persons worldwide and more than 7,000 persons in the United States. Although leprosy is indigenous to the southern United States, most new cases in this country occur among immigrants from foreign areas where the disease is endemic. Leprosy presents as a skin rash and/or peripheral neuropathy. The diagnosis can be confirmed when acid-fast bacilli are found in skin biopsies or smears. The multiple-drug treatment regimens recommended by the World Health Organization have considerably reduced the length of treatment to six months to two years. The optimum duration of treatment has yet to be determined. In most countries, including the United States, leprosy remains one of the most stigmatizing diseases.</p>  a0002-838X