01505nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001300055653001500068653002800083653003100111653001100142653001100153653001100164653001600175653002500191653001600216653001500232653002300247100001300270700001300283700001400296245013200310300001000442490000700452050001600459520070200475022001401177       2007                            d  c2007 Jun10aAlopecia10aChest Pain10aDiagnosis, Differential10aEmigration and Immigration10aFemale10aGuyana10aHumans10aHypesthesia10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aMiddle Aged10aOral Ulcer10aRheumatic Diseases1 aFlower C1 aGaskin D1 aMarquez S00aA case of recurrent rash and leg numbness mimicking systemic rheumatic disease: the occurrence of leprosy in a nonendemic area.  a143-50 v13  aFLOWER 20073 a<p>Leprosy, a rare chronic granulomatous communicable disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is classically known to have cutaneous and neurologic sequelae. As a result of immigration, the disease, endemic in Brazil, India, Nepal, Madagascar, Myanmar, and Indonesia, has been recognized to be present in North America and the Caribbean. We describe a case of a woman presenting with a long history of a recurrent rash and leg numbness, initially diagnosed with systemic lupus, who was later proven to have lepromatous leprosy. It is a reminder that this underappreciated disease should still be considered in the differential diagnosis of skin rash and neuropathy, even in nonendemic regions.</p>  a1076-1608