Korean Lepr Bull.
2011 Dec;44(1):85-95.
Case of Hansen's Disease with vitiligo and xanthelasma
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Korea.
Abstract
- Hansens' disease is well known chronic inflammatory granulomatous disease by Macobacterium leprae., and occur rarely in these days. The wide range of clinical manifestations develop by status of the host resistant. These are from mild sensory change, erythematous macular patches, diffuse infiltrating plaque, and nodules to severe destruction of peripheral nerve and internal organ involvements. Vitilgo and xanthelasma rarely may occur in the lepromatous leprosy. The patient was a 60-year-old a farmer who complained erythematous diffuse ill defined infiltrative plaques or nodules on the face, trunk. He was diagnosed as lepromatous leprosy by skin biopsy and fite staining and had taken the standard 3 multidrug (dapsone, rifampicin, lamprene)therapy. About 3 months during the therapy, the existing skin lesions became erythematous and mild edematous, some of which show vitiligo like change, and severe general aching and neuralgia developed. Type 1 lepra reaction with upgrading was diagnosed by clinical symptoms and skin biopsy feature. The vitiligo lesions also appeared on the normal looking skin without previous lepromatous lesion. At that time, yellowish plaque appeared on both eyelid and diagnosed as xanthelasma without hypolipoproteinemia. The mutidrug therapy for lepsory continued and oral predinsolone was given for the general aching of neuralgia. The lepra skin lesions had been improved gradually and the vitiligo lesions also disappeared. Presenting case is very interesting in point of view that he had vitiligo related to type 1 lepra reaction, and simultaneously developed xanthelasma palpebrum.
