Symptoms Of Leprosy

Facial Disfigurement

This is the dreaded symptom of leprosy, especially centuries ago when leprosy was misunderstood, incurable, and thought to be caused by curses. Facial disfigurement may be in the form of unsightly lumps, nodules, and swelling on the facial area. The nerves controlling the eyelids may fail, causing the patient to be unable to close their eyelids, which can result in corneal damage and blindness. Eyelashes and eyebrows may fall out. The front teeth may loosen and also fall out. The bacteria attacks the nasal cartilage, which is the firm, flexible substance that gives the nose its shape. Cartilage damage from leprosy can cause the nose to become misshapen, often with a peculiar indentation in the center that causes the nose to somewhat resemble a saddle.

Continue for more on the significant symptoms of leprosy.

Skin Discoloration

Skin discoloration, in general, is common and is caused by a multitude of different factors. Someone with changes in skin color doesn't necessarily have leprosy. In fact, they probably don't, since this condition not easy to encounter or catch. In the United States and most developed countries, it's scarce. However, in someone with leprosy, skin discoloration is a common early symptom. This lost color will produce patchy areas lighter than the surrounding normally colored skin. The condition will be more pronounced in individuals with a darker skin color. These patches, or lesions, don't heal or improve. The discoloration is caused by the mycobacteria invading the skin cells, which disrupts the normal function of these cells. There may also be hair loss over the lesions. Lost color in skin from leprosy should not be confused with vitiligo, which also causes a patchy loss of skin color. However, vitiligo is an autoimmune disease completely unrelated to leprosy. In some individuals, leprosy may cause the urine, sweat, and tears to turn orange.

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