01832nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653000900051653002600060653002800086653001100114653001200125653000900137653001600146653002200162653000900184653001300193653001700206100001200223700001300235700001200248700001100260700001100271245005900282856005900341300000900400490000800409520107500417022001401492       2009                            d  c200910aAged10aArthritis, Rheumatoid10aDiagnosis, Differential10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aNetherlands10aPeripheral nerves10aSkin10aSuriname10aTime Factors1 aLaan WH1 aFaber WR1 aVries N1 aMaas M1 aTak PP00a['Rheumatoid arthritis' in a Surinamese man: leprosy].  uhttps://www.ntvg.nl/system/files/publications/a246.pdf  aA2460 v1533 a<p>Rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed in a 65-year-old man from Suriname, on the basis of clinical and radiological findings. However, he was eventually diagnosed with leprosy. This emerged when the patient developed skin lesions and complained of increasing sensibility disorders during treatment for the alleged rheumatoid arthritis. He was treated with a combination therapy consisting of rifampicin, clofazimine, dapsone, and prednisone. The skin lesions and joint symptoms were resolved as a result of this, but the sensibility disorders persisted. As physicians are not sufficiently familiar with leprosy and the condition has many manifestations that can mimic more frequently occurring diseases, leprosy is often diagnosed at a later stage. This may result in irreversible damage, especially to the peripheral nerves, which may lead to disability. Therefore, for patients who originate from areas where leprosy is endemic and who suffer from joint complaints in combination with skin or sensibility disorders, the diagnosis of leprosy should be considered.</p>
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