Clinical Aspects and Classification of Hansen’s Disease

Hansen’s disease can course with a variety of dermatologic lesions that generally characterize a clinical-immunologic form of the disease. Three classifications of Hansen’s disease are recognized: the Operational Classification, the Madrid Classification, and the Ridley–Jopling classification. The clinical, histopathological, and bacteriological characteristics of each form of the Madrid and Ridley–Jopling classifications are presented in this chapter.