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Case Reports
. 2021 Feb 20;13(2):e13451.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.13451.

Chronic Hand Swelling and Dactylitis in Leprosy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Sonia Gupta  1 , Changzhao Li  2 , Vinay Kumar Thallapally  1 , Poonam Sharma  2 , Joseph Nahas  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Chronic Hand Swelling and Dactylitis in Leprosy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Sonia Gupta et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Leprosy is an infectious disease that is associated with various types of presentations. Diagnosis of the disease can be tricky in cases of atypical presentations. We report a unique case of leprosy characterized by chronic hand swelling, dactylitis, and seropositive laboratory markers, which was diagnosed in a rheumatology clinic.

Keywords: autoantibodies; erythema nodosum leprosum; leprosy; rheumatism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Picture showing facial swelling and loss of lateral eyebrows bilaterally
Figure 2
Figure 2. Swelling of joints of the left hand
Figure 3
Figure 3. Pictures showing H&E, Fite, and AFB staining of skin biopsy
A-F: H&E staining. The red arrow indicates grayish granular material, which was proven to be M. leprae globi following acid-fast stain. The green arrow indicates cutaneous never that is entrapped by foamy macrophages loaded with M. leprae. G: FITE staining. H: AFB staining H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; AFB: acid-fast bacillus
Figure 4
Figure 4. Pictures showing Fite stain of slit skin smear from different locations
A-F: slit skin smear. G: positive control. H: negative control
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. ENLIST 1: An international multi-centre cross-sectional study of the clinical features of erythema nodosum leprosum. Walker SL, Balagon M, Darlong J, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2015;9:0. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Leprosy-related joint involvement. Pereira HL, Ribeiro SL, Pennini SN, Sato EI. Clin Rheumatol. 2009;28:79–84. - PubMed

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