Very few data have been reported on the epidemiology and clinical features of leprosy reactions in non-endemic settings. We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis to define the frequency and features of Type 1 and Type 2 leprosy reactions in a cohort of patients followed at a US travel and tropical medicine clinic in a 5-year period. We identified that leprosy reactions presented in 10/14 (71.4%) patients with leprosy seen at our clinic. We identified that leprosy reactions occur frequently among patients living in non-endemic areas and may occur before the initiation of multi-drug therapy (MDT), during MDT, or even years after completion of therapy and may produce significant neurologic sequelae. This group of patients needs long-term clinical monitoring even after completion of MDT because of the need to continue either anti-inflammatory therapy, presence of severe neurologic sequelae after reactions, or the potential occurrence of late leprosy reactions.
BT - The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18784242?dopt=Abstract CN - JACOB 2008 DA - 2008 Sep IS - 3 J2 - Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. LA - eng N2 -Very few data have been reported on the epidemiology and clinical features of leprosy reactions in non-endemic settings. We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis to define the frequency and features of Type 1 and Type 2 leprosy reactions in a cohort of patients followed at a US travel and tropical medicine clinic in a 5-year period. We identified that leprosy reactions presented in 10/14 (71.4%) patients with leprosy seen at our clinic. We identified that leprosy reactions occur frequently among patients living in non-endemic areas and may occur before the initiation of multi-drug therapy (MDT), during MDT, or even years after completion of therapy and may produce significant neurologic sequelae. This group of patients needs long-term clinical monitoring even after completion of MDT because of the need to continue either anti-inflammatory therapy, presence of severe neurologic sequelae after reactions, or the potential occurrence of late leprosy reactions.
PY - 2008 SP - 452 EP - 4 T2 - The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene TI - Five-year experience with type 1 and type 2 reactions in Hansen disease at a US travel clinic. UR - http://www.ajtmh.org/content/79/3/452.full.pdf+html VL - 79 SN - 1476-1645 ER -