Oro-facial manifestations of 100 leprosy patients

Abstract

Objectives: To verify the frequency of oral and facial involvement in diagnosed leprosy patients. Study design: This study was performed on 100 leprosy patients (62 male, 38 female, mean ages 51.86±6.1). After explaining the study design, we studied descriptive information including: patient’s sex, age, job, place of birth, familial history of leprosy, types of disease (lepromatous, borderline and tuberculoid leprosy), ocular and oral lesions, facial involvement and neuropathy. The statistical signification was measured by chi-square test. Results: A total of 46 (23 lepromatous, 15 borderline, and 8 tuberculoid leproy) out of 100 patients with leprosy had oral lesions. Statistical analysis did not show any significant difference in frequency of oral lesions between different types of disease. Facial lesions were presented in 57 (39 lepromatous, 10 borderline, and 8 tuberculoid leprosy) patients. There was a statistical significant difference in frequency of facial manifestations between different types of leprosy. It has to be mentioned that, atrophy of nasal spine, facial nerve involvement, ocular lesions and facial deformity were seen in 15%, 17%, 22% and 44% of leprosy patients, respectively. Conclusion: Examination of leprosy patients should be extended to the oral mucosa because oral mucosa may be a secondary source of M.Leprae transmission and infection. Key words:Leprosy, lepromatous, tuberculoid, oral lesions, facial lesions.

Infectious neuropathies

“…In a consecutive series of 100 leprosy patients, the facial nerve was involved in 17 [5]. In a consecutive series of 100 leprosy patients, the facial nerve was involved in 17 [5].…”

Systemic considerations for orofacial neuropathy

“…Orofacial manifestations of leprosy are scarcely documented in the literature. The involvement of the facial nerve was documented in a study of 100 patients with leprosy . It has been found that facial nerve involvement in tuberculoid leprosy and lepromatous leprosy was in 41% of the patients, with 18% involved in borderline leprosy.…”

The oral cavity in leprosy: what clinicians need to know

“…Oral mucosal involvement in leprosy may result from hematogenous or lymphatic dissemination of M. leprae , or be secondary to nasal lesions (de Abreu et al , ; Motta et al , ). Mucosal involvement is particularly outstanding in the nose, affecting 95% of patients with LL, probably due to the preference of M. leprae for cooler sites (Scheepers, ; de Abreu et al , ; Martins et al , ; Taheri et al , ).…”

“…Although several reports on oral lesions in leprosy have been found, some of them described non‐specific lesions, including erythematous candidiasis, fissured tongue, and inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (Morgado de Abreu et al , ), and few confirmed specific lesions through biopsy and histopathological analysis (Table ). Leprosy‐specific oral lesions are uncommon and, when present, occur in patients with advanced stages of the LL form, and usually involve the nasal mucosa, skin, and peripheral nerves (Ochandiano et al , ; Motta et al , ; Ghosh et al , ; Pallagatti et al , ; Taheri et al , ). However, oral lesions in the TT form were also reported in one study with no histological confirmation (Taheri et al , ).…”

“…Leprosy‐specific oral lesions are uncommon and, when present, occur in patients with advanced stages of the LL form, and usually involve the nasal mucosa, skin, and peripheral nerves (Ochandiano et al , ; Motta et al , ; Ghosh et al , ; Pallagatti et al , ; Taheri et al , ). However, oral lesions in the TT form were also reported in one study with no histological confirmation (Taheri et al , ). In addition, leprosy‐specific histopathological features were identified in clinically normal oral mucosa, indicating its involvement even in the absence of visible lesions (de Abreu et al , ).…”