Leprosy

What Is Leprosy?

 

Leprosy causes skin sores that are severe and disfiguring, nerve damage in arms, legs, and any skin area around the body. The infection results in lesions in the body, which are flat, red and irregular in shape. Destruction in nerves leads to sensory loss. Gangrene may also follow.

It is an infectious disease. You can catch leprosy if you come into repeated and close contact with mouth and nose droplets from a patient with untreated leprosy. Children are more susceptible to infection than adults.

Leprosy is curable, though deformities caused due to leprosy often can’t be reversed.

What Are The Symptoms Of Leprosy?

• Leprosy mainly affects the nerves and the skin outside the spinal cord, and the brain (known as peripheral nerves). It can also strike the thin lining of tissue inside the nose and the eye.
• The key symptom of leprosy is lumps or bumps, disfigured skin sores that continue to appear after even several weeks or months.
• The incubation period (the time between contacting with the bacteria and the appearance of symptoms) is usually about 3 to 5 years. It takes years for the symptoms to appear, after getting infected with leprosy causing bacteria. In some people, symptoms take more than 20 years to develop.
• It is difficult for doctors to determine where and when a person got infected with bacteria of leprosy, due to the long incubation period.

What Are The Causes Of Leprosy?

• Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is caused by a slow-growing bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae (M. lepra)

What Are The Things One Should Do To Manage Leprosy?

• Seek the treatment at the earliest. Leprosy is contagious only if not treated.
• Keep the clothes, utensils of patient separately and wash them with hot water and disinfectants every day.
• If you see any changes or side-effects after starting the medication, please talk to your doctor immediately.
• Be careful not to get injured as numbness in affected areas may not make you feel any pain if injured. 

What Are The Things One Should Avoid To Manage Leprosy?

• Seek the treatment at the earliest. Leprosy is contagious only if not treated.
• Keep the clothes, utensils of patient separately and wash them with hot water and disinfectants every day.
• If you see any changes or side-effects after starting the medication, please talk to your doctor immediately.
• Be careful not to get injured as numbness in affected areas may not make you feel any pain if injured. 

What Are The Best Foods For Leprosy?

 

• Vitamin A rich foods like carrot, liver, red pepper,  beet root, spinach, cabbage,  broccoli, sweet potato, apricot,  lettuce,  and cantaloupe, among others. Vitamin A is beneficial for the skin
• Vitamin B-complex rich foods like fish eggs, lobster, crab, beef, lamb, octopus and cheese etc. to cure the symptoms of leprosy.
• Vitamin C rich foods like guava, orange, lemon, grapefruit, garden cress, bell pepper, kiwi fruit, papaya, Brussels sprouts, tangerine and strawberries. It helps in enhancing the general immunity of the body for fending off the disease causing bacteria.
• Zinc and calcium rich foods are essential in leprosy. Some rich sources of these minerals are oysters, cocoa powder, sesame seeds, watermelon seeds, yoghurt, sardine, dark chocolate, soy milk, cottage cheese, tofu, salmon, and almonds, among others.
• Vitamin D rich foods like button mushrooms, sockeye salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna fish catfish, and cod liver oil. Also, exposure to sunlight helps in getting Vitamin D. Vitamin D also helps in the absorption of calcium, an important component for leprosy patients.
• Vitamin E, another important nutritional component for leprosy patients, should be added to the diet. Some rich sources of Vitamin E are turnip greens, mustard green, sunflower seeds, collard, asparagus, papaya, and bell pepper. It helps in replacing the damaged and disrupted skin caused due to leprosy, by cell regeneration. It also protects the skin from harmful ultra-violet rays and enhances skin texture.

What Are The Worst Foods For Leprosy?

• Avoid spicy foods as they may increase the irritation of the skin.
• Avoid junk foods or any food, which might reduce immunity of the body

What Are The Medicines For Leprosy?

What Are The Tips To Manage Leprosy?