Leprosy ranges in its effect on the body, and is dependent upon the person’s immune response. A person with a strong immune response will more likely suffer from a milder form of leprosy, whereas a weaker immune response results in a more severe form of the disease. The bacterium once transmitted to the person, usually by droplets from the nose and mouth, then enters the circulatory system, where it is a haematogenous spread (spread through the blood) to the surrounding skin and nerves. The body’s own T-cells form an immune response against the bacteria, however the disease has a preference towards Schwann cells, which are important neuroglia that help maintain axons in the peripheral nervous system, as well as helping to form the protective myelin sheath along the axon. They also show a preference towards skin macrophages, whereby the macrophages are inundated with numerous bacteria that try to make the macrophages their host cells in order to replicate and multiply. This preference, results in skin damage, and peripheral nerve damage, both predominant, and main symptoms of leprosy. The fact that leprosy is so dependent upon the person’s immune response results in the formation of five types of leprosy which are:
The symptoms range from small skin irritations up to full blown nerve damage and skin sores covering the entire body, and depend once again upon the body’s cell-mediated response. The tuberculoid form of leprosy has a very active T-cell response and manages to control the spread of more bacteria within the body. T-cells are able to control the number of bacteria trying to enter macrophage,s in order to use them as hosts to replicate more bacterium, which results in less severe symptoms due to the cell-mediated immune response. Granulomas, which often form with this type of leprosy, encase the macrophages that are unsuccessful in completely destroying the bacteria, in order to prevent any further replication or spread of the parasite. The negative side is that the granulomas cause inflamation, which over a long time can affect the skin and surrounding nervous tissue.
The lepromatous form of leprosy is the more severe symptoms of leprosy that come about. This is due to the fact that the leprosy parasite has been able to enter the macrophage and use it as a host, initiating the production of a specific protein, which then alters the surface of the cell membrane, making it resistant towards macrophage-lymphocyte interaction. This will also lower the body’s cell-mediated response, resulting in uncontrolled multiplying bacteria, and worsening symptoms when left untreated. Borderline leprosy displays symptoms of both tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy.
Leprosy does not affect the main nervous system, however it affects parts of the nervous system to varying degrees, affecting the person’s health and well-being, causing damage such as:
*Sensory nerve damage, which results in a lack of sensation towards pain, can have negative consequences to the person, such as becoming the cause of burns, and injuries, as well as even loss of limbs, all due to this lack of sensation. The person is unable to register any pain sensation, which leads to injuries and amputations if the body part has become severely damaged.
*Eye nerve damage is a detrimental symptom of leprosy, whereby the person can end up becoming blind due to the inability of the optic nerve to function properly. It is unable to trasmit signals to the brain, when severely damaged, and even partial damage can cause some loss of vision.
*Motor nerve damage causes various motor skills to become impaired and can result in the drooping of limbs and hands, as well as paralysis. It can affect the person's self-esteem and often this damage is irreversible and therefore permanent, greatly impacting the person for the rest of their life.
*Autonomic nerve damage causes the body’s sweat glands to be affected and can cause hair loss, resulting in extreme skin dryness and more susceptible to infections. The susceptibility to more infections only makes the problem manifest into a more severe form, and adds more strain on the body's immune response.
- Indeterminate leprosy (IL)
- Tuberculoid leprosy (TT)
- Borderline tuberculoid leprosy (BT)
- Borderline borderline leprosy (BB)
- Borderline lepromatous leprosy (BL)
- Lepromatous leprosy (LL)
The symptoms range from small skin irritations up to full blown nerve damage and skin sores covering the entire body, and depend once again upon the body’s cell-mediated response. The tuberculoid form of leprosy has a very active T-cell response and manages to control the spread of more bacteria within the body. T-cells are able to control the number of bacteria trying to enter macrophage,s in order to use them as hosts to replicate more bacterium, which results in less severe symptoms due to the cell-mediated immune response. Granulomas, which often form with this type of leprosy, encase the macrophages that are unsuccessful in completely destroying the bacteria, in order to prevent any further replication or spread of the parasite. The negative side is that the granulomas cause inflamation, which over a long time can affect the skin and surrounding nervous tissue.
The lepromatous form of leprosy is the more severe symptoms of leprosy that come about. This is due to the fact that the leprosy parasite has been able to enter the macrophage and use it as a host, initiating the production of a specific protein, which then alters the surface of the cell membrane, making it resistant towards macrophage-lymphocyte interaction. This will also lower the body’s cell-mediated response, resulting in uncontrolled multiplying bacteria, and worsening symptoms when left untreated. Borderline leprosy displays symptoms of both tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy.
Leprosy does not affect the main nervous system, however it affects parts of the nervous system to varying degrees, affecting the person’s health and well-being, causing damage such as:
*Sensory nerve damage, which results in a lack of sensation towards pain, can have negative consequences to the person, such as becoming the cause of burns, and injuries, as well as even loss of limbs, all due to this lack of sensation. The person is unable to register any pain sensation, which leads to injuries and amputations if the body part has become severely damaged.
*Eye nerve damage is a detrimental symptom of leprosy, whereby the person can end up becoming blind due to the inability of the optic nerve to function properly. It is unable to trasmit signals to the brain, when severely damaged, and even partial damage can cause some loss of vision.
*Motor nerve damage causes various motor skills to become impaired and can result in the drooping of limbs and hands, as well as paralysis. It can affect the person's self-esteem and often this damage is irreversible and therefore permanent, greatly impacting the person for the rest of their life.
*Autonomic nerve damage causes the body’s sweat glands to be affected and can cause hair loss, resulting in extreme skin dryness and more susceptible to infections. The susceptibility to more infections only makes the problem manifest into a more severe form, and adds more strain on the body's immune response.