02597nas a2200457   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653001000089653001100099653001900110653002000129653001100149653001200160653000900172653001600181653002500197653002700222653003900249653002300288100001300311700001300324700001400337700001400351700001400365700001300379700001400392700001300406700001500419700001200434700001300446700001400459700001300473245021200486300001000698490001500708520140200723022001402125       2007                            d  c2007 Oct10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aChild10aFemale10aHealth Surveys10aHot Temperature10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium leprae10aNeurologic Examination10aPeripheral Nervous System Diseases10aSensory Thresholds1 aDuncan E1 aHansen S1 aTadesse T1 aBezuneh E1 aYassin MA1 aZeleke A1 aSolomon A1 aJamal GA1 aHunegnaw M1 aKazen R1 aAseffa A1 aChallis A1 aWagaye W00aThermal threshold tester, a useful tool for detection of very early nerve damage--determination of normal values in a healthy population unexposed to Mycobacterium leprae and its application in the A9 study.  a25-330 v45 Suppl 13 a<p><b>INTRODUCTION: </b>In Ethiopia, a large percentage of leprosy patients present with established nerve damage. Present techniques for measuring nerve function impairment show no abnormality until 30% of nerve axons are destroyed. Nerve damage in leprosy occurs first in small diameter unmyelinated fibres, then in small myelinated fibres, and much later in large myelinated fibres. The Thermal Threshold Tester (TTT) was used to measure function in nerves carrying heat sensation (unmyelinated C fibres) and cold sensation (thinly myelinated Adelta fibres).</p><p><b>PATIENTS: </b>A school and community health survey, assessed 234 students and adults aged 10-75 years from Chencha Woreda, an area with low endemicity of leprosy. A group of students in Addis Ababa, exposed to leprosy, were also studied.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>The upper limits of normal were: wrist hot threshold (HT): 0.17 degrees C, wrist cold threshold (CT): 0.19 degrees C, foot HT: 0.17 degrees C and foot CT: 0.20 degrees C. Both the leprosy group and also controls in Addis Ababa showed significantly increased TTT values.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>The TTT detects nerve damage before clinical neuritis occurs and is a valuable tool for early diagnosis of leprosy or detecting clinical relapse of treated patients and for sequential and quantitative monitoring of small diameter nerve function in other neuropathies.</p>  a0014-1755