Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which tends to attack peripheral nerves and skin. The diagnosis of leprosy is based on the presence of one of three cardinal signs. Early diagnosis of leprosy is critical and is made through clinical examination and investigation. Purpose: To discuss the diagnosis, laboratory examination, and treatment of leprosy, considering that early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are the key elements in breaking the chain of transmission and preventing leprosy patients' disabilities. Review: Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium leprae. Based on clinical appearance, histopathology findings, and immunological, leprosy is grouped into six forms using the Ridley-Jopling classification, namely Tuberculoid (TT), Borderline Tuberculoid (BT), Borderline-borderline Mid-borderline (BB), Borderline-lepromatous (BL), Subpolar Lepromatous (LLs), and Polar Lepromatous (LLp). Based on the treatment category, leprosy is grouped into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB). Leprosy is often diagnosed clinically, and skin scraping smear remains the preferred laboratory method. The negative results of smear skin scraping may not necessarily exclude leprosy. Therefore, a higher sensitivity test might be needed to detect M. leprae. Treatment with Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) is adjusted based on the type of leprosy, whether it belongs to the PB or MB group. Treatment of PB type, regimens are rifampicin and dapsone, while in MB type, the patients received rifampicin, dapsone, and clofazimine regimens. Conclusion: A proper diagnosis for leprosy, both through physical examination and laboratory examination, is required to determine an effective MDT treatment and break the chain of disease transmission.

Background: According to WHO data, the number of new cases of leprosy has decreased in 2019. However, Indonesia continues to provide a significant number of cases. According to statistics, India, Brazil, and Indonesia account for 79 percent of all instances. Purpose: This study aims to describe the profile of leprosy patients, and involves all Dermatology and Venereology Academic Hospitals in Indonesia. Methods: This study was a retrospective study of 2461 patients from Dermatology and Venereology Outpatient Clinic at 13 Academic Hospitals in Indonesia between January 2018 and December 2020. Result: Subjects in this study were dominated by males (66.8%) and aged > 14 years (95.3%). The most common type of leprosy was multibacillary (MB) (86.2%), and erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) was the most leprosy reaction (20.3%). Majority of the subjects experienced disability in the hands (26.6%), in grade 1. Conclusion: Leprosy cases in Indonesia are mostly experienced by adult males. The most common type of leprosy is MB, with ENL being the most common leprosy reaction. Grade 1 disability is the most prevalent, therefore proper education is necessary to keep patients from progressing to grade 2 disability.

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BACKGROUND: Leprosy or Hansen’s disease is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) bacilli which results in chronic infections in humans that affect the peripheral nerves, skin, and other organs such as the eyes, mucous membranes, bones, and testicles. Leprosy has a variety of clinical presentations, depending on the cell-mediated immunity of the host. Leprosy is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as paucibacillary type (PB) and multibacillary type (MB) depending on the number of lesions. This multicenter study aims to provide representation of leprosy types and its epidemiology in Indonesia. AIM: The purpose of this study is to find out the epidemiology according to the leprosy type in 13 teaching hospitals in Indonesia between 2018 and 2020. METHODS: This is a descriptive study with cross-sectional design. All patients with the diagnosis of PB or MB type of leprosy who underwent Multidrug Therapy (MDT) treatment between 2018 and 2020 were included in this study. Data collection was carried out by tracing medical records data in 13 teaching hospitals in Indonesia. RESULTS: A total of 2129 leprosy patients were included in this study. There were 232 cases (10.8%) of PB leprosy and 1897 cases (89.1%) of MB leprosy. The average age of the patients is 38.7 years (SD ± 16.2 years). Males are more affected by leprosy (n = 1,441; 67.7%) compared to female (n = 688; 32.3%). CONCLUSION: Leprosy remains as a national health problem. The increasing cases of MB leprosy in Indonesia are caused by several factors including the lack of knowledge about leprosy, the delay in diagnosis of leprosy, and the stigma of leprosy within the community; therefore, it becomes a challenge to eliminate leprosy in Indonesia.