TY - JOUR KW - Adult KW - Aged KW - Biopsy KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - Female KW - Humans KW - leprosy KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Mouth Diseases KW - Mouth Mucosa KW - Mycobacterium leprae KW - Palate KW - Tongue AU - Abreu MAMM AU - Michalany NS AU - Maurice Weckx LL AU - Pimentel DRN AU - Watashi Hirata CH AU - Avelar Alchorne MM AB -

INTRODUCTION: Multibacillary leprosy may involve the oral mucosa, with or without apparent lesions. There are few studies that deal with this issue in the era of multidrug therapy.

AIM: To assess the frequency of oral mucosa involvement in multibacillary leprosy patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A transversal study with twenty non-treated multibacillary leprosy patients. The patients were treated in Dracena, São Paulo, between 2000 and 2002. Clinical examination of the oral mucosa was carried out. All patients were submitted to jugal mucosa, soft palate and tongue biopsies, in altered or in pre-established sites. The cross-sections were stained by techniques of hematoxilin-eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen. Granuloma and alcohol-acid-resistant bacilli findings determined the specific histopathological involvement.

RESULTS: The study involved 19 patients with an average of 2.5 years of disease progression. Specific histopathological involvement occurred in the tongue and soft palate of one lepromatous patient with an apparently normal oral mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS: (1) Clinical alterations in the oral mucosa does not imply disease involvement, it is necessary to have histopathological confirmation. (2) Apparent specific clinical alterations are rare. (3) The clinically normal oral mucosa can show specific histopathological involvement.

BT - Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngology C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17119765?dopt=Abstract CN - ABREU 2006 DA - 2006 May-Jun DO - 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)30962-9 IS - 3 J2 - Braz J Otorhinolaryngol LA - eng N2 -

INTRODUCTION: Multibacillary leprosy may involve the oral mucosa, with or without apparent lesions. There are few studies that deal with this issue in the era of multidrug therapy.

AIM: To assess the frequency of oral mucosa involvement in multibacillary leprosy patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A transversal study with twenty non-treated multibacillary leprosy patients. The patients were treated in Dracena, São Paulo, between 2000 and 2002. Clinical examination of the oral mucosa was carried out. All patients were submitted to jugal mucosa, soft palate and tongue biopsies, in altered or in pre-established sites. The cross-sections were stained by techniques of hematoxilin-eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen. Granuloma and alcohol-acid-resistant bacilli findings determined the specific histopathological involvement.

RESULTS: The study involved 19 patients with an average of 2.5 years of disease progression. Specific histopathological involvement occurred in the tongue and soft palate of one lepromatous patient with an apparently normal oral mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS: (1) Clinical alterations in the oral mucosa does not imply disease involvement, it is necessary to have histopathological confirmation. (2) Apparent specific clinical alterations are rare. (3) The clinically normal oral mucosa can show specific histopathological involvement.

PY - 2006 SP - 312 EP - 6 T2 - Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngology TI - The oral mucosa in leprosy: a clinical and histopathological study. VL - 72 SN - 1808-8694 ER -