Original Research
2021 June
Volume : 9 Issue : 2


Significance of histopathology in the evaluation of paucibacillary leprosy

Sindhushree N, Sindhu C, Sunita SV

Pdf Page Numbers :- 71-76

Sindhushree N1, Sindhu C2,*, and Sunita SV2

 

1Department of Pathology, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, PB Road, Vidyanagar Hubballi, Karnataka-580022, India

2Department of Pathology, MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Dandupalya, National Highway 4, 30th Km Milestone Kolathur PO, Hoskote, Karnataka-562114, India

 

*Corresponding author: Dr. Sindhu C, Door no. 3447, 20/C main road, Vijayanagar 2nd stage, Mysore–570017, Karnataka, India. Mobile: +91 7348880186; Email: drsindhuc89@gmail.com

 

Received 2 February 2021; Revised 4 March 2021; Accepted 12 March 2021; Published 22 March 2021

 

Citation: Sindhushree N, Sindhu C, Sunita SV. Significance of histopathology in the evaluation of paucibacillary leprosy. J Med Sci Res. 2021; 9(2):71-76. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17727/JMSR.2021/9-11

 

Copyright: © 2021 Sindhushree N et al. Published by KIMS Foundation and Research Center. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Abstract

Background: Leprosy patients are classified into paucibacillary and multibacillary types on the basis of the number of skin lesions for the purpose of therapy. Patients with 1–5 skin lesions are clinically categorized as paucibacillary for treatment purposes.

Aim: To study paucibacillary leprosy cases and compare clinical details with histopathological findings.

Materials and methods: Three and half year study involving 130 patients of paucibacillary cases of leprosy diagnosed clinically and based on the 1–5 skin lesions was included in this study after ethical clearance and taking informed consent from patients. A number of skin lesions were recorded. Skin biopsies were taken in all patients. Biopsies were evaluated for the type of pathology and acid fast bacilli (AFB) status.

Results: Of 130 patients, 81(62.3%) were males and 49(37.6%) were females. Majority of the clinically classified cases were borderline tuberculoid leprosy. The histological diagnoses were: TT 19(14.6%), BT 40(30.7%), IL 51(39.2%) and No evidence of leprosy 20(15.3%). AFB were found in 3(15.3%) out of 130 skin biopsies and all were borderline tuberculoid leprosy.

Conclusion: Tissue diagnosis play a significant role in the diagnosis of leprosy. Early and borderline cases of leprosy poses a diagnostic difficulty to label only on clinical basis, so histopathological evaluation is must for confirming the diagnosis in doubtful cases of leprosy.

 

Keywords: paucibacillary; indeterminate; tuberculoid; borderline

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