Background: Leprosy is known to cause disability that leads to severe outcomes like stigma, discrimination, mental health problems and participation restriction. Furthermore, in cases of infectious leprosy, longer del...Background: Leprosy is known to cause disability that leads to severe outcomes like stigma, discrimination, mental health problems and participation restriction. Furthermore, in cases of infectious leprosy, longer delays increase the risk for the spread of the disease. Despite being preventable and curable, a significant proportion of new leprosy patients (39%) in 2019 had grade 2 (Described as Visible disability) at the time of diagnosis signifying late presentation. The aim of this study was to describe patient journeys from first symptoms suggestive of leprosy to a diagnosis and individual and community level factors associated with health seeking behavior of leprosy patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional explorative study implemented in Kasese, Mayuge and Yumbe districts .A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative assessment included patients, family members, health workers, voluntary health teams and the district health team. Descriptive statistics were presented in terms of percentages, frequency tables, pie Charts and graphs for easy interpretation and discussion. Results: The results indicate that 53% of the respondents identified as female. The median age of the respondents being 34 years, with a range of 1 to 76 years (Mean: 44.7, Mode: 65, Standard-Deviation: 19.6, Kurtosis: 0.6). The most common first symptom noticed by respondents was skin lesions (65%) followed by deformities (18%) (P value = 0.05%) occurring mostly in the feet (P-value = 0.48). Majority (52%) of the patients had taken more than 24 months (SD 18.72 OR 2.75) for a diagnosis to be made with a maximum delay of over 60 months. The most common cause of delay in seeking health care was lack of knowledge on leprosy (P value=Conclusions: There was a delay of 2 years in seeking health care for the majority of the patients. Key barriers to early diagnosis were lack of knowledge and infrastructure. Community sensitization and strengthening capacity building are needed to achieve early diagnosis of leprosy and proper management.展开更多
Background: World Health Organization recommends the implementation of contact tracing and Leprosy Post Exposure prophylaxis (LPEP) to interrupt the chain of transmission. To accelerate the uptake of this recommendati...Background: World Health Organization recommends the implementation of contact tracing and Leprosy Post Exposure prophylaxis (LPEP) to interrupt the chain of transmission. To accelerate the uptake of this recommendation, a cross-sectional study among contacts of leprosy patients was conducted to investigate the feasibility of integrating leprosy systematic contact tracing and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) into the routine leprosy control program. Methods: This was a mixed methods cross-sectional study. The study was implemented in Kumi, Ngora, Serere, Soroti, Budaka and Kibuku Districts. Results: The 45 enrolled index patients (97.8% of the registered) identified a total of 135 contacts, of which 134 (99·2%) consented and were screened. Among them, one new leprosy patient was identified and started on treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT). All the eligible contacts, received the prophylactic treatment with Single Dose Rifampicin (SDR). Overall, SDR was administered to 133(98.5% of the listed contacts) with no adverse event reported. Factors associated with successful contact investigation and management included: Involvement of index patients, health care workers during the contact screening and SDR A administration, counselling of the index patients and contacts by the health care works, LPEP being administered as Directly observed Therapy (DOT) among others. Results Interpretation: The integration of leprosy post-exposure prophylaxis with administration of SDR and contact tracing is feasible, generally accepted by the patient, their contacts and health workers and can be integrated into the National Leprosy control programmes with minimal additional efforts once contact tracing has been established. Therefore, we recommend integration of administration of SDR in to the routine leprosy control program.展开更多
Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy can have many atypical presentations,obscuring early diagnosis.We present a case of lepromatous leprosy,presenting with atypical features,which made a diagnostic dilemma.Patient concerns:...Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy can have many atypical presentations,obscuring early diagnosis.We present a case of lepromatous leprosy,presenting with atypical features,which made a diagnostic dilemma.Patient concerns:A 48-year-old man presented with bilateral lower limb oedema and scaly“ichthyosis like”skin rash in both hands and feet,hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia,over a course of three months,without any classical features of leprosy.A skin biopsy revealed an unexpected diagnosis of borderline lepromatous leprosy.Diagnosis:Lepromatous leprosy.Interventions:Multi-drug regimen treatment with rifampicin,dapsone and clofazimine for lepromatous leprosy.Outcomes:The patient made a good clinical recovery.Lessons:In endemic settings,clinicians should be aware of similar atypical manifestations of leprosy to face the global challenge of eradicating this chronic deforming disease.展开更多
Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy is a skin condition.Erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL)aids in its diagnosis.ENL is a type-2 immune response,whereas lepra ENL is characterized by a hypersensitivity reaction and an exaggerate...Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy is a skin condition.Erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL)aids in its diagnosis.ENL is a type-2 immune response,whereas lepra ENL is characterized by a hypersensitivity reaction and an exaggerated immune response through a different pathway.Patient's Concern:A 40-year-old male patient,previously diagnosed with lepromatous leprosy,displayed painful skin lesions on his extremities.Diagnosis:Type-2 lepra reaction,specifically erythema nodosum leprosum.Interventions:The patient was initially treated with 100 mg dapsone daily and then with fusidic acid,prednisone,and other MDT agents,after development of dapsone resisitance.After type-2 lepra reaction was lessened in just two weeks,the regimen was adjusted to prednisolone(up to 2 g daily),thalidomide(300 mg daily),minocycline(1.5 g daily),ofloxacin(1 g twice daily),and pentoxifylline(400 mg three times daily)over a six-month period.Outcomes:The treatment effectively reduced the type-2 lepra reaction and improved the patient's skin lesions and overall health.Lessons:Healthcare providers should maintain a high level of awareness regarding the symptoms and medical history associated with ENL to facilitate timely diagnosis and appropriate management strategies.It is critical to tailor treatment to each patient’s symptoms and responses for successful management.Consistent monitoring of inflammatory markers and regular follow-up appointments play vital roles in preventing complications and ensuring positive outcomes for patients with ENL.展开更多
Rationale:Leprosy,a chronic granulomatous disease often present clinically as erythema nodosum leprosum,a type 2 reaction.The involvement of cochlear part of audiovestibular system is a rarity.Patient concerns:A 26-ye...Rationale:Leprosy,a chronic granulomatous disease often present clinically as erythema nodosum leprosum,a type 2 reaction.The involvement of cochlear part of audiovestibular system is a rarity.Patient concerns:A 26-year-old male patient with lepromatous leprosy developed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)during type 2 reactional episode.Diagnosis:Recurrent erythema nodosum leprosum in rifampicin-resistant lepromatous leprosy.Interventions:Corticosteroids and second-line multidrug therapy.Outcomes:The patient improved significantly and was further referred for management of psychosocial impact due to sensorineural hearing loss.Lessons:The hearing impairment is a rare complication of type 2 reaction.Any patient with suspected cranial nerve involvement should essentially be screened by tuning fork tests for early detection of hearing impairment and offer timely intervention as required.All high bacteriological index cases should be investigated for antimicrobial resistance in high endemic areas.展开更多
BACKGROUND Leprosy is a disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae(M.leprae),an intracellular pathogen that has tropism and affects skin and nervous system cells.The disease has two forms of presentation:Paucibacillary an...BACKGROUND Leprosy is a disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae(M.leprae),an intracellular pathogen that has tropism and affects skin and nervous system cells.The disease has two forms of presentation:Paucibacillary and multibacillary,with different clinical and immunological manifestations.Unlike what occurs in the multibacillary form,the diagnostic tests for the paucibacillary form are nonspecific and not very sensitive,allowing the existence of infected individuals without treatment,which contributes to the spread of the pathogen in the population.To mitigate this contamination,more sensitive diagnostic tests capable of detecting paucibacillary patients are needed.AIM To predict the three-dimensional structure models of M.leprae antigens with serodiagnostic potential for leprosy.METHODS In this in silico study,satisfactory templates were selected in the Protein Data Bank(PDB)using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool to predict the structural templates of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens by comparative modeling.The templates were selected according to general criteria such as sequence identity,coverage,X-ray resolution,Global Model Quality Estimate value and phylogenetic relationship;Clustal X 2.1 software was used in this analysis.Molecular modeling was completed using the software Modeller 9v13.Visualization of the models was made using ViewerLite 4.2 and PyMol software,and analysis of the quality of the predicted models was performed using the QMEAN score and Z-score.Finally,the three-dimensional moels were validated using the MolProbity and Verify 3D platforms.RESULTS The three-dimensional structure models of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens of M.leprae were predicted using the templates PDB:3UOI(90.51%identity),PDB:3EKL(87.46%identity),PDB:3FAV(40.00%identity),and PDB:1F0N(85.21%identity),respectively.The QMEAN and Z-score values indicated the good quality of the structure models.These data refer to the monomeric units of antigens,since some of these antigens have quaternary structure.The validation of the models was performed with the final three-dimensional structure-monomer(ML0050 and 85B antigens)and quaternary structures(ML2038 and ML0286).The majority of amino acid residues were observed in favorable and allowed regions in the Ramachandran plot,indicating correct positioning of the side chain and absence of steric impediment.The MolProbity score value and Verify 3D results of all models indicated a satisfactory prediction.CONCLUSION The polarized immune response against M.leprae creates a problem in leprosy detection.The selection of immunodominant epitopes is essential for the development of more sensitive serodiagnostic tests,for this it is important to know the three-dimensional structure of the antigens,which can be predicted with bioinformatics tools.展开更多
目的了解江苏省麻风院村休养员社会支持现况及影响因素,探讨增加社会支持的对策。方法2021年6—12月,采用基本情况调查表和社会支持评定量表(social support rating scale,SSRS),对全省37家麻风院村所有存活休养员进行调查。结果共调查...目的了解江苏省麻风院村休养员社会支持现况及影响因素,探讨增加社会支持的对策。方法2021年6—12月,采用基本情况调查表和社会支持评定量表(social support rating scale,SSRS),对全省37家麻风院村所有存活休养员进行调查。结果共调查麻风休养员560人,平均年龄(75.88±7.20)岁,遗留有畸残占89.64%。社会支持总分为(29.31±8.02),处于中等水平。其中主观支持得分为(16.09±4.68),客观支持得分为(6.18±3.00),对支持利用度得分为(7.03±2.21)。多因素线性回归分析结果显示,职业(β=-3.403)、慢性病(β=2.413)、畸残(β=2.586)是休养员社会支持得分的影响因素(P值均<0.05)。结论江苏省麻风院村休养员社会支持水平较正常人低,建议采取有效干预措施,持续改善麻风院村休养员的社会支持环境。展开更多
文摘Background: Leprosy is known to cause disability that leads to severe outcomes like stigma, discrimination, mental health problems and participation restriction. Furthermore, in cases of infectious leprosy, longer delays increase the risk for the spread of the disease. Despite being preventable and curable, a significant proportion of new leprosy patients (39%) in 2019 had grade 2 (Described as Visible disability) at the time of diagnosis signifying late presentation. The aim of this study was to describe patient journeys from first symptoms suggestive of leprosy to a diagnosis and individual and community level factors associated with health seeking behavior of leprosy patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional explorative study implemented in Kasese, Mayuge and Yumbe districts .A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative assessment included patients, family members, health workers, voluntary health teams and the district health team. Descriptive statistics were presented in terms of percentages, frequency tables, pie Charts and graphs for easy interpretation and discussion. Results: The results indicate that 53% of the respondents identified as female. The median age of the respondents being 34 years, with a range of 1 to 76 years (Mean: 44.7, Mode: 65, Standard-Deviation: 19.6, Kurtosis: 0.6). The most common first symptom noticed by respondents was skin lesions (65%) followed by deformities (18%) (P value = 0.05%) occurring mostly in the feet (P-value = 0.48). Majority (52%) of the patients had taken more than 24 months (SD 18.72 OR 2.75) for a diagnosis to be made with a maximum delay of over 60 months. The most common cause of delay in seeking health care was lack of knowledge on leprosy (P value=Conclusions: There was a delay of 2 years in seeking health care for the majority of the patients. Key barriers to early diagnosis were lack of knowledge and infrastructure. Community sensitization and strengthening capacity building are needed to achieve early diagnosis of leprosy and proper management.
文摘Background: World Health Organization recommends the implementation of contact tracing and Leprosy Post Exposure prophylaxis (LPEP) to interrupt the chain of transmission. To accelerate the uptake of this recommendation, a cross-sectional study among contacts of leprosy patients was conducted to investigate the feasibility of integrating leprosy systematic contact tracing and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) into the routine leprosy control program. Methods: This was a mixed methods cross-sectional study. The study was implemented in Kumi, Ngora, Serere, Soroti, Budaka and Kibuku Districts. Results: The 45 enrolled index patients (97.8% of the registered) identified a total of 135 contacts, of which 134 (99·2%) consented and were screened. Among them, one new leprosy patient was identified and started on treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT). All the eligible contacts, received the prophylactic treatment with Single Dose Rifampicin (SDR). Overall, SDR was administered to 133(98.5% of the listed contacts) with no adverse event reported. Factors associated with successful contact investigation and management included: Involvement of index patients, health care workers during the contact screening and SDR A administration, counselling of the index patients and contacts by the health care works, LPEP being administered as Directly observed Therapy (DOT) among others. Results Interpretation: The integration of leprosy post-exposure prophylaxis with administration of SDR and contact tracing is feasible, generally accepted by the patient, their contacts and health workers and can be integrated into the National Leprosy control programmes with minimal additional efforts once contact tracing has been established. Therefore, we recommend integration of administration of SDR in to the routine leprosy control program.
文摘Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy can have many atypical presentations,obscuring early diagnosis.We present a case of lepromatous leprosy,presenting with atypical features,which made a diagnostic dilemma.Patient concerns:A 48-year-old man presented with bilateral lower limb oedema and scaly“ichthyosis like”skin rash in both hands and feet,hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia,over a course of three months,without any classical features of leprosy.A skin biopsy revealed an unexpected diagnosis of borderline lepromatous leprosy.Diagnosis:Lepromatous leprosy.Interventions:Multi-drug regimen treatment with rifampicin,dapsone and clofazimine for lepromatous leprosy.Outcomes:The patient made a good clinical recovery.Lessons:In endemic settings,clinicians should be aware of similar atypical manifestations of leprosy to face the global challenge of eradicating this chronic deforming disease.
文摘Rationale:Lepromatous leprosy is a skin condition.Erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL)aids in its diagnosis.ENL is a type-2 immune response,whereas lepra ENL is characterized by a hypersensitivity reaction and an exaggerated immune response through a different pathway.Patient's Concern:A 40-year-old male patient,previously diagnosed with lepromatous leprosy,displayed painful skin lesions on his extremities.Diagnosis:Type-2 lepra reaction,specifically erythema nodosum leprosum.Interventions:The patient was initially treated with 100 mg dapsone daily and then with fusidic acid,prednisone,and other MDT agents,after development of dapsone resisitance.After type-2 lepra reaction was lessened in just two weeks,the regimen was adjusted to prednisolone(up to 2 g daily),thalidomide(300 mg daily),minocycline(1.5 g daily),ofloxacin(1 g twice daily),and pentoxifylline(400 mg three times daily)over a six-month period.Outcomes:The treatment effectively reduced the type-2 lepra reaction and improved the patient's skin lesions and overall health.Lessons:Healthcare providers should maintain a high level of awareness regarding the symptoms and medical history associated with ENL to facilitate timely diagnosis and appropriate management strategies.It is critical to tailor treatment to each patient’s symptoms and responses for successful management.Consistent monitoring of inflammatory markers and regular follow-up appointments play vital roles in preventing complications and ensuring positive outcomes for patients with ENL.
文摘Rationale:Leprosy,a chronic granulomatous disease often present clinically as erythema nodosum leprosum,a type 2 reaction.The involvement of cochlear part of audiovestibular system is a rarity.Patient concerns:A 26-year-old male patient with lepromatous leprosy developed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)during type 2 reactional episode.Diagnosis:Recurrent erythema nodosum leprosum in rifampicin-resistant lepromatous leprosy.Interventions:Corticosteroids and second-line multidrug therapy.Outcomes:The patient improved significantly and was further referred for management of psychosocial impact due to sensorineural hearing loss.Lessons:The hearing impairment is a rare complication of type 2 reaction.Any patient with suspected cranial nerve involvement should essentially be screened by tuning fork tests for early detection of hearing impairment and offer timely intervention as required.All high bacteriological index cases should be investigated for antimicrobial resistance in high endemic areas.
文摘BACKGROUND Leprosy is a disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae(M.leprae),an intracellular pathogen that has tropism and affects skin and nervous system cells.The disease has two forms of presentation:Paucibacillary and multibacillary,with different clinical and immunological manifestations.Unlike what occurs in the multibacillary form,the diagnostic tests for the paucibacillary form are nonspecific and not very sensitive,allowing the existence of infected individuals without treatment,which contributes to the spread of the pathogen in the population.To mitigate this contamination,more sensitive diagnostic tests capable of detecting paucibacillary patients are needed.AIM To predict the three-dimensional structure models of M.leprae antigens with serodiagnostic potential for leprosy.METHODS In this in silico study,satisfactory templates were selected in the Protein Data Bank(PDB)using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool to predict the structural templates of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens by comparative modeling.The templates were selected according to general criteria such as sequence identity,coverage,X-ray resolution,Global Model Quality Estimate value and phylogenetic relationship;Clustal X 2.1 software was used in this analysis.Molecular modeling was completed using the software Modeller 9v13.Visualization of the models was made using ViewerLite 4.2 and PyMol software,and analysis of the quality of the predicted models was performed using the QMEAN score and Z-score.Finally,the three-dimensional moels were validated using the MolProbity and Verify 3D platforms.RESULTS The three-dimensional structure models of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens of M.leprae were predicted using the templates PDB:3UOI(90.51%identity),PDB:3EKL(87.46%identity),PDB:3FAV(40.00%identity),and PDB:1F0N(85.21%identity),respectively.The QMEAN and Z-score values indicated the good quality of the structure models.These data refer to the monomeric units of antigens,since some of these antigens have quaternary structure.The validation of the models was performed with the final three-dimensional structure-monomer(ML0050 and 85B antigens)and quaternary structures(ML2038 and ML0286).The majority of amino acid residues were observed in favorable and allowed regions in the Ramachandran plot,indicating correct positioning of the side chain and absence of steric impediment.The MolProbity score value and Verify 3D results of all models indicated a satisfactory prediction.CONCLUSION The polarized immune response against M.leprae creates a problem in leprosy detection.The selection of immunodominant epitopes is essential for the development of more sensitive serodiagnostic tests,for this it is important to know the three-dimensional structure of the antigens,which can be predicted with bioinformatics tools.
文摘目的了解江苏省麻风院村休养员社会支持现况及影响因素,探讨增加社会支持的对策。方法2021年6—12月,采用基本情况调查表和社会支持评定量表(social support rating scale,SSRS),对全省37家麻风院村所有存活休养员进行调查。结果共调查麻风休养员560人,平均年龄(75.88±7.20)岁,遗留有畸残占89.64%。社会支持总分为(29.31±8.02),处于中等水平。其中主观支持得分为(16.09±4.68),客观支持得分为(6.18±3.00),对支持利用度得分为(7.03±2.21)。多因素线性回归分析结果显示,职业(β=-3.403)、慢性病(β=2.413)、畸残(β=2.586)是休养员社会支持得分的影响因素(P值均<0.05)。结论江苏省麻风院村休养员社会支持水平较正常人低,建议采取有效干预措施,持续改善麻风院村休养员的社会支持环境。
