“… 1 , 2 , 14 , 17 , 18 Due to the wide spectrum of clinical manifestations of the disease, the use of histopathological criteria, smear microscopy, evolutionary and immunological criteria, as proposed by the R&J classification in 1966 allows greater sensitivity and specificity rates for disease classification and are widely accepted by pathologists and leprosy specialists. 1 , 16 , 19 , 20 Complementary examinations, however, are usually not available in most BHUs, where the diagnosis and classification of the disease should be made. Due to this problem, the WHO proposed a simplified classification, using only clinical criteria.…”