01477nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002800055653000900083653001200092653001600104653001200120653002800132653001100160653001100171653002300182653001200205653002800217653003100245653001300276100001400289700001500303700001400318700001200332700001100344245007100355300001000426490000800436520068100444022001401125       2008                            d  c2008 Nov10aAdrenal Cortex Hormones10aAged10aAspirin10aClofazimine10aDapsone10aDiagnosis, Differential10aFemale10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMacrophages, Peritoneal10aMycobacterium lepraemurium10aRifampin1 aGabelle A1 aVallat J M1 aFlageul B1 aAndre P1 aCamu W00a[Sensory-motor neuropathy: a slow and misleading case of leprosy].  a964-80 v1643 a<p>The diagnostic process of sensory-motor neuropathies is difficult. Atypical variants and rare etiologies also contribute to delay the diagnosis. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with slowly progressive asymmetric axonal sensory-motor neuropathy. Leprosy was identified after an eight-year delay. Nerve biopsy was required to establish the diagnosis: electron microscopy revealed debris of Hansen's bacillus in the nerve. Treatment was fully curative after several months. Leprosy is a rare cause of neuropathy in Europeans. Systematic inquiry about travel to endemic areas would be helpful in establishing the diagnosis. In such cases, nerve biopsy is crucial.</p>  a0035-3787