Goodless D R, Ramos-Caro F A, Flowers F P
Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville.
South Med J. 1991 Feb;84(2):237-41. doi: 10.1097/00007611-199102000-00021.
Hansen's disease (leprosy), though not a common condition in the United States, can be found in some localities among patients who come to the emergency room for treatment. Hansen's disease (HD) is a chronic systemic infectious granulomatous disease involving principally the skin, mucosa, nerves, and eyes. The causative organism, Mycobacterium leprae, is neither highly contagious nor aggressive, but rapid alterations in the immunologic response to M leprae in affected tissues can result in acute exacerbations termed "reactions." Since most of the symptoms and morbidity in HD are a consequence of these reactional states, they must be recognized and treated early to prevent permanent sequelae, especially neurologic and ophthalmologic. Drug therapy, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery all play a role in minimizing the injury caused by reactions.
麻风病在美国虽不常见，但在前来急诊室治疗的患者中，某些地区仍可发现。麻风病是一种慢性全身性感染性肉芽肿疾病，主要累及皮肤、黏膜、神经和眼睛。病原体麻风分枝杆菌既不具有高度传染性，也不具侵袭性，但受影响组织对麻风分枝杆菌免疫反应的快速改变可导致称为“反应”的急性加重。由于麻风病的大多数症状和发病率是这些反应状态的结果，因此必须尽早识别并治疗，以防止永久性后遗症，尤其是神经和眼科方面的后遗症。药物治疗、物理治疗，有时还包括手术，在将反应造成的损伤降至最低方面均发挥作用。
