Follow-up studies on pure/primary neural leprosy patients in India

Leprosy Mailing List – January 19th, 2011

Ref.:   Follow-up studies on pure/primary neural leprosy patients in India

From: Rao P. N., Hyderabad, India

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Dear Salvatore,

This mail is in continuation to Dr Kar’s letter (Jan 11, 2011) on pure/primary neural leprosy (PNL) patients.  Although there are no methods or tests known to identify which patients of PNL develop clinical lesions, there are few follow-up studies which provide information on appearance of skin lesions.  Below mentioned are two studies on PNL, which provide contrasting information about appearance of skin lesions in PNL patients on follow-up.

1.  In a  follow-up study of 182 PNL patients by Suneetha et al., 62% of patients developed the lesions within 2 years of the onset of symptoms.  The study also mentions that 38% of patients developed a single patch and 28% developed two patches.  (Suneetha S, Sigamoni A, Kurian N, Chacko CJ. The development of cutaneous lesions during follow-up of patients of pure neuritic leprosy.  Int J Dermatol. 2005;44(3):224-9.).

2.  In a study by  Kumar B et al, of 32 PNL  patients, none of them developed any skin lesions on a follow-up of 2 years.  (Kumar B et al.  Pure Neuritic Leprosy in India: an Appraisal.  Int J  Lepr and other Mycobact Dis. 2004, 72, Number 3).

I just thought of sharing this information with our members.

With best regards,

Potharaju Narasimha Rao