Leprosy9

=Leprosy= By Taylor Jacobs

__**Summary**__: With my project you will learn what causes leprosy. Also what affects it has on the person and also the symptoms. This projects has most of the basics in learning about this disease. Learning how you are diagnosed and more.

__**Project:**__

__**Outline**__: o What is leprosy? § A chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium Leprae o What does it affect? § Can affect the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes. § Some of the nerves that are located outside the central nervous system. § It affects primarily the nerves of the hands, feet and eyes and some of the nerves in the skin. o How does it progress? § Leprosy progress’s very slowly in the human body. · After at least a year of the infection from the bacteria · Takes 5 to 7 years for the symptoms to fully develop. o What are the signs that you have Leprosy? o Some of the symptoms: § Skin sores or lesions · Flat or slightly elevated and light in color or slightly red · These do not heal after 7 months § Skin Lumps and bumps (Disfiguring) § There is a numbness of your skin only because the skins nerves are damaged § There is also Muscle weakness · But it all depends on the type of Leprosy the person has o How is Leprosy Acquired? § Doctor’s are not really sure how it is spread. § Leprosy is not very contagious actually · So that means you can’t get if you touch someone with leprosy. § But some of the cases of Leprosy are passed from long-term contact with a person who has this disease. · Also doctors believe that it may be passed from person to person when people with Leprosy cough or sneeze o The droplets from this cough or sneeze will get into the air · Also people with weak immune systems are more likely to get it as well. o How are you diagnosed? § The doctor will have to ask you questions about medical history and ask you about the symptoms you are experiencing o How is Leprosy treated? § You will be given antibiotics § The antibiotics can kill the Mycobacterium Leprae, bacteria in your body · The only problem is the nerve damage cannot be reversed · Deformities also cannot be reversed o How long do you have to take the antibiotics § 6 months or maybe longer · It depends on how severe the infection is o Rarley causes an immediatedeath. § 2 to 11% of people die secondary illness’s § What that means is that Leprosy will weaken the immune system and the person might die form something else. o How can you prevent Leprosy? § There is a very low risk catching leprosy, but you can still reduce your risk § Avoid contact with bodily fluids and the rashes of people who have Leprosy o Some other information about Leprosy is that there are two types that you can be diagnosed with. § They are: · Tuberculoid Leprosy o Limited disease and relatively few bacteria in the skin and nerves o It is characterized by a few flat or slightly raised skin lesions of various sizes typically pale or slightly red, dry, hairless and numb touch · Lepromatous Leprosy o Unlike Tuberculoid is has more of Widespread disease and large numbers of bacteria o Diffuse involvement of the skin, thickening of many peripheral nerves and at times involvement of other organs, such as eyes, nose, testicles and bone.
 * I.** **Overview**
 * II.** **Pathology**
 * III.** **Symptoms**
 * IV.** **Acquisition**
 * V.** **Diagnosis**
 * VI.** **Treatment**
 * VII.** **Mortality Rate**
 * VIII.** **Prevention**
 * IX.** Other

__**References:**__[|Leprosy: eMedicine Neurology] [|Leprosy] http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/common/bacterial/988.printerview.html