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Review
. 2020 Jul;83(1):1-14.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.12.080. Epub 2020 Mar 27.

Leprosy: Clinical aspects and diagnostic techniques

Mayra B C Maymone  1 , Melissa Laughter  1 , Samantha Venkatesh  2 , Mara M Dacso  3 , P Narasimha Rao  4 , Barbara M Stryjewska  5 , Jeremy Hugh  1 , Robert P Dellavalle  1 , Cory A Dunnick  6
Affiliations
Review

Leprosy: Clinical aspects and diagnostic techniques

Mayra B C Maymone et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a curable infectious disease that remains endemic in >140 countries around the world. Despite being declared "eliminated" as a global public health problem by the World Health Organization in the year 2000, approximately 200,000 new cases were reported worldwide in 2017. Widespread migration may bring leprosy to nonendemic areas, such as North America. In addition, there are areas in the United States where autochthonous (person-to-person) transmission of leprosy is being reported among Americans without a history of foreign exposure. In the first article in this continuing medical education series, we review leprosy epidemiology, transmission, classification, clinical features, and diagnostic challenges.

Keywords: Hansen's disease; diagnostic techniques; epidemiology; leprosy; leprosy classification; leprosy differential diagnosis; microbiology.

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