Understanding Leprosy Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Awareness of prominent ailments is necessary to take preventive measures for good health. Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects around 2,08,000 people worldwide every year. Additionally, the leprosy cases detected in India in 2021-22 were around 75,394, compared to 1,25,785 cases in 2014-15. Learning about leprosy symptoms and treatment options is crucial.

Most people have basic and limited information on leprosy. Given this, many leprosy patients are forced into isolation and have to face social stigma. This guide will explore all the elements linked to leprosy, including the need for insurance for leprosy patients.

Understanding Leprosy

Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to man. It is also known as Hansen’s disease and is caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria. This disease can spread quickly through close contact. The main transmission sources include an afflicted person’s sneezes or cough droplets. This sometimes makes identifying leprosy symptoms hard.

The disease mainly affects the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, and peripheral nerves. Therefore, it is crucial to start leprosy treatment on time to prevent further damage. Currently, leprosy is reported in all six WHO regions, with the maximum number of cases reported in Southeast Asia.

Types of Leprosy

The World Health Organisation (WHO) classification suggests two types of leprosy –

• Paucibacillary (PB) Leprosy: This form shows negative skin smear results at all sites and includes 1-5 skin lesions. It has a lower bacterial presence.
• Multibacillary (MB) Leprosy: This type shows positive skin smear results at any site and involves more than five skin lesions, nerve involvement, or detectable bacilli in a skin smear. This indicates a higher bacterial load.

As per the Ridley-Jopling classification, there are five types of leprosy –

• Tuberculoid (TT): This mild form has few skin spots and minimal nerve damage.
• Borderline Tuberculoid (BT): It has more spots than TT, but nerve damage remains limited.
• Mid Borderline (BB): This type features a moderate number of spots and increased nerve damage.
• Borderline Lepromatous (BL): Characterised by many spots and significant nerve damage.
• Lepromatous Leprosy (LL): The most severe form, with extensive spots and nerve damage.

Leprosy Symptoms to Know

Leprosy symptoms are not instantly visible. It usually takes anywhere between one to 20 years for a person to display them. Major leprosy symptoms include –

• Muscle weakness
• Skin lesions
• Thick or pale skin
• Swelling of face and ears
• Foot ulcers
• Numbness in the hands and feet
• Curled fingers
• Dry and cracked skin
• Loss of hair and eyebrows
• Dry eyes that can lead to blindness

Leprosy Diagnosis

Leprosy diagnosis is highly dependent on clinical tests. These are conducted when you notice leprosy symptoms.

A biopsy of a small skin sample is conducted to identify the disease. A skin smear test confirms the existence of paucibacillary or multibacillary leprosy. Then there is a lepromin skin test used to diagnose the type of leprosy.

All these tests enable accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment planning.

Leprosy Treatment

Leprosy symptoms are treated using a multidrug therapy (MDT) approach. It is a treatment that lasts from six months to over a year. This therapy combines several antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria, prevent drug resistance, and reduce disease transmission. 

The treatment can be expensive, so having health insurance for leprosy is beneficial.

Breaking the Myths Around Leprosy

Even though leprosy is an old disease, it is still surrounded by various myths which must be broken. The most common myths are –

• Myth 1: Leprosy Is Extremely Contagious – It isn’t very contagious. It spreads only through close, repeated contact with nose and mouth droplets from someone with untreated leprosy.
• Myth 2: Leprosy Has No Cure – It can be cured. Multidrug therapy (MDT) is very effective and available worldwide to treat leprosy symptoms.
• Myth 3: Leprosy Causes Fingers and Toes to Fall Off – This is false. This disease can damage nerves, leading to injuries if not treated. Nevertheless, early treatment can prevent serious damage.

Health Insurance for Leprosy

Leprosy is not a dangerous disease. However, understanding leprosy symptoms is important to break the stigma around it and get proper treatment. The average cost of treatment can go upto $300 (₹25000 approx) yearly.

Hence, acquiring insurance for leprosy patients is important. Mostly, the coverage is under the critical illness rider. Usually, the waiting period is from a few days to 2 years. If a patient has health insurance, it will cover the finances for: 

1. Pre-hospitalisation expenses
2. Hospitalisation expenses
3. Post-hospitalisation expenses

It is also recommended to have health insurance with OPD cover to ensure your regular doctor visit and consultancy expenses are taken care of. 

You can get the cashless benefit as well. Also, if you need to claim, inform your insurer within 24 hours of hospitalisation and share complete details to get the claim process started.

Key Takeaways

Awareness and education are key factors in changing perceptions of leprosy. Knowing the leprosy symptoms can help you take action in time. Comprehensive insurance for leprosy patients ensures timely treatment without excessive financial burden. Make sure to choose the right health insurance plan for leprosy on platforms like PhonePe to secure yourself against the disease today!