Treatment for Leprosy

Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world and it causes physical deformities and damages the nerves. However, medical opinion says it can be cured by a sustained year-long antibiotic treatment. Treatment of leprosy generally differs, depending upon the form and severity of the disease. However, in all cases, antibiotics such as Dapsone or Clofazimine are the drugs typically used to treat leprosy. Mycobacterium Leprae, the bacteria that causes leprosy is seen to be resistant to certain antibiotics that are used as treatment for leprosy. Leprosy care involves many different aspects of medical treatment. Even after the disease is cured physically, treatment must be continued for a long time to care for the patient emotionally and psychologically as well as dealing with the social stigma problems.

If Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) is administered as soon as leprosy symptoms appear, then there will not be any lasting physical deformity. But a patient can experience numbness in hands and feet and that is difficult to cure. When patient’s hand or foot becomes insensitive they may to burn themselves contacting with fire or step on something sharp and injure themselves without feeling any heat or pain. Some leprosy patients may have to change their whole lifestyle in the light of this insensitivity.

For ages together, leprosy also known as Hansen's disease, was considered incurable and lepers were segregated for extended periods of time. Today, however, there have been medical advancements and leprosy can generally be cured with antibiotics if detected early. With early diagnosis and treatment of leprosy, many leprosy symptoms can be minimized or avoided all together. But if medical care is sought too late, then irreversible damage to limbs take place and amputation becomes inevitable to save the patients life. Artificial limbs are then custom-made specially to fit each person. Such patients must wear soft rubber footwear to prevent foot ulcers. It is important to know that treatment of leprosy differs depending upon the type of the disease. If it is tuberculoid leprosy, the treatment will last for one year and if it is lepromatous leprosy, the treatment will be needed for two years. Treatment of leprosy involves not only medicines but more importantly supportive care.

Reconstructive surgery is an important part of medical treatment for many leprosy patients. There are surgical procedures such as tendon transplants to correct clawed hands, reconstruction of nose and eye operation to save the blinking reflex are available to contain the harmful effects of leprosy. Surgery not only restores functionality of certain limbs but it also makes a patient appear normal again without any disfigurement. Physiotherapy during the post- surgery period is also a vital part of medical treatment.

There are self-care groups consisting of leprosy affected people with various disabilities who meet on a regularly to lend moral support to each other and find ways to cope up with social stigma attached to the disease. With support from friends in a self-care group, life with leprosy becomes more bearable. Self-care groups may also form a savings group, supporting each other to earn a living after receiving a Leprosy Mission loan. As part of rehabilitation activities, we should create proper awareness of leprosy amongst people so that certain age-old myths that leprosy is a divine curse can be put to rest. Person affected by leprosy need all-embracing, holistic care. This includes working with the family and community to understand that leprosy is neither abhorrent nor dreadful.