Arthritis and diagnosis of leprosy: a case report and review of the literature

Leprosy Mimicking as Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which mainly damages the skin and peripheral nerves, and can also infect joints and bones. Clinical manifestations are complex, varied, and often underdiagnosed. The clinical manifestations vary and are called "the great imitator". musculoskeletal features are common in leprosy but infrequently reported. A case of borderline lepromatous (BL) type leprosy was initially suspected as rheumatoid arthritis in a 20-year-old Balinese male who complained of pain and swelling in small joints, accompanied by lesions in the form of multiple erythema macules, round-shaped geography, indistinct boundaries, with bilateral distribution is almost symmetrical in the face, thoracoabdominal, and extremity regions. The diagnosis of BL type leprosy is based on history taking, physical examination, and investigations in the form of Ziehl-Neelsen stain and blood tests.

Leprosy-Related Chronic Arthritis with an Abundance of Mycobacterium Leprae in the Synovial Fluid: A Rare Case

Bone and joint involvements are the most common manifestation in leprosy, after cutaneous and neurological manifestations, yet are underdiagnosed and rarely reported. We report a case of lepromatous leprosy in a 41-year-old male with bone and joint changes. Physical examination revealed a leonine face, madarosis, hypesthetic hypopigmented macules on the back, and swelling of fingers and toes. Acid-fast bacilli from slit-skin smear and synovial fluid in an interphalangeal joint of the hand were found. Radiographic features showed osteolysis and destruction of some phalanges of the hands, bone erosion and destruction of some phalanges of the feet, as well as destruction and subluxation of some hand joints. The patient was given multidrug therapy for multibacillary leprosy, resulting in the reduction of swelling in fingers and toes. In conclusion, the examination of bone and joint changes in leprosy patients is important for early detection and management of musculoskeletal complications, to prevent future deformities and disabilities.

Misdiagnosis of leprosy in Brazil in the period 2003 - 2017: spatial pattern and associated factors

BACKGROUND

Leprosy causes a range of symptoms, and most diagnoses are established based on the clinical picture. Therefore, false negative and positive diagnoses are relatively common. We analyzed the spatial pattern of leprosy misdiagnosis and associated factors in Brazil.

METHOD

Exploratory analyses of Kernel density of the new case detection rate (NCDR) and proportion of misdiagnosis in Brazil, 2003-2017. Factors associated with misdiagnosis were identified by logistic regression at the 5% significance level.

RESULT

A total of 574,181 new leprosy cases were recorded in Brazil within the study period, of which 7,477 (1.3%) were misdiagnoses. No spatial correlation was observed between the proportion of misdiagnoses and the NCDR. The likelihood of misdiagnosis was elevated for females [OR: 1.58 (1.51-1.66)], children [OR: 1.49 (1.36-1.64)]; paucibacillary [OR: 1.08 (1.02-1.13)], indeterminate clinical forms [OR: 2.37 (2.15-2.62)], for cases diagnosed in the frame of mass screenings [OR: 3.36 (3.09- 3.73)] and contact examination [OR: 2.30 (2.13-2.49)] and for cases with affected nerves but no skin lesions [OR: 2.47 (2.19-2.77)] when compared with those presenting both skin lesion and affected nerves.

CONCLUSION

Misdiagnosis of leprosy is not correlated with the endemicity level in Brazil but rather with personal, diagnosis-related and disease characteristics.

Chronic Hand Swelling and Dactylitis in Leprosy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Leprosy is an infectious disease that is associated with various types of presentations. Diagnosis of the disease can be tricky in cases of atypical presentations. We report a unique case of leprosy characterized by chronic hand swelling, dactylitis, and seropositive laboratory markers, which was diagnosed in a rheumatology clinic.

Case Report: Leprosy Osteoarticular Alterations Mimicking Rheumatoid Arthritis

Deformities of bones of the face and extremities are markers of leprosy (Hansen's disease) which contribute to stigma associated with this disease. Among these deformities are articular alterations that can mimic rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this case, a 64-year-old man presented with a history of having been treated for lepromatous leprosy and erythema nodosum leprosum episodes, which evolved with joint alterations similar to those of RA. Most cases of leprosy-related arthritis are associated with reactional episodes, of which a large number do not respond to conventional therapy for leprosy reactions. In cases of chronic arthritis not associated with leprosy reactions, although patients show considerable relief with anti-leprosy therapy, arthritis is not completely resolved. This emphasizes the need for early diagnosis and treatment of leprosy to prevent the development of osteoarticular alterations.

Rheumatoid arthritis-like features in Hansen disease: A case report

RATIONALE

Hansen disease is an infectious chronic disease with various clinical manifestations. Its joint performance may easily mimic rheumatoid arthritis.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report a case of a 57-year-old woman diagnosed with Hansen disease 10 years ago, who suffered from joints swelling, pain and joints deformities of both hands for 19 years. The skin on the hands showed rashes, thickening, desquamation and chapping, with both thenar muscles atrophy. She also had severe hypoalgesia of the whole body, and morning stiffness for one hour.

DIAGNOSES

The final diagnosis was joint damage and peripheral neuropathy due to Hansen disease.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient received neurotrophic treatment instead of anti-rheumatic treatment.

OUTCOMES

At 1-year follow up, no further aggravation of joint swelling and pain was detected.

LESSONS

The correct diagnosis of Hansen disease involving joints depends on the combination of medical history, careful physical examination, and laboratory examination.

Hansen's Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis Crossover of Clinical Symptoms: A Case Series of 18 Patients in the United States

Hansen's Disease (HD) is a rare, chronic granulomatous infection of the skin and peripheral nerves caused by the noncultivable organism Mycobacterium leprae. Arthritis is the third most common symptom of HD. Subjects with both confirmed HD on skin biopsy and chronic arthritis were identified at the National Hansen's Disease Program (NHDP). We conducted a series of medical chart reviews and extracted and logged personally deidentified data into a database and carried out descriptive analyses. Eighteen of 261 subjects presented to the NDHP with both HD and chronic arthritis between 2001 and 2015. Among these, 16 were male, 16 were white, and 15 were residents of Louisiana. The median age at diagnosis of HD was 67 years. Ten of these subjects were diagnosed with borderline lepromatous leprosy, seven were diagnosed with lepromatous, and one was diagnosed with borderline tuberculoid leprosy. Patients were symptomatic with arthritis for a median of 5.3 years before HD diagnosis. Sixty-two percent of patients (11) were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before HD diagnosis, and 10 of which were seronegative RA. Hands, feet, wrists, and elbows were most commonly reported as affected joints. Over half of the patients (61%) had completed HD multidrug therapy at the time of review, and 73% of these subjects had persistent joint pain requiring steroids or methotrexate for symptomatic control. Chronic arthritis in HD patients is present in a series of US-acquired cases of HD. Arthritis did not resolve with successful treatment of HD in most cases.