01759nas a2200169   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653001000054653003000064100001200094700001200106700001000118245006500128856005300193490000600246520133700252       2009                            d10aleprosy10aIndia10aCranial nerve involvement1 aWani AA1 aGupta V1 aJan N00aA clinical study of the cranial nerve involvement in leprosy  uhttp://www.edoj.org.eg/vol005/0502/003/paper.pdf0 v53 aBackground: Leprosy commonly affects the cranial nerves predominantly the 5th (trigeminal nerve) and the 7th (facial nerve). Lepra reactions are risk factors for cranial nerve involvement.

Objective: To study the frequency and pattern of cranial nerve involvement in leprosy and to find its relation with facial patch. 

Patients and methods: The present clinical study was undertaken on 100 consecutive leprosy patients to find out the involvement of cranial nerves in leprosy and to study the relationship between cranial nerve involvement and leprosy patch/patches on facial skin.

Results: Cranial nerve involvement was detected in 22 patients on clinical grounds; 7 Borderline Tuberculoid (BT), 6 Lepromatous Leprosy (LL), 6 Borderline Lepromatous (BL), 1 Pure Neuritic (PN), 1 Tuberculoid Tuberculoid (TT) and 1 Borderline Borderline (BB). The most commonly involved cranial nerves were the facial and trigeminal, seen in 9% each; followed by the olfactory in 6% and the auditory in 3%. Most cases with facial and trigeminal nerve involvement were of BT leprosy types while the majority with olfactory and auditory nerve involvement was of the lepromatous leprosy type (BL, LL). The association between lagophthalmos of recent origin, type 1 lepra reaction and significant facial patch was statistically significant.