Korean Lepr Bull.  2017 Dec;50(1):43-47. 10.0000/klb.2017.50.1.43.

A Case of Type 2 Leprosy Reaction in Borderline Lepromatous Leprosy Masquerading as Orbital Cellulitis in an Immigrant Worker

• Kwon OS
• Kim HR
• Park JS
• Chung H
• Kwon HH
• Park KD

• KMID: 2405550
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/klb.2017.50.1.43

Abstract

Hansen's disease(HD) is a chronic infectious disorder acquired by inoculation of Mycobacterium leprae. With the establishment of complex multidrug therapy, the incidence rate of leprosy patients has continually shown to decline by 90% compared to the incidence rate in the 1990s. However, the prevalence of the disease still remains high in southeast asian countries. Due to the rarity and diverse nature of cutaneous presentation, HD is often misdiagnosed with other dermatoses or infectious conditions. Especially, when a patient presents with unusual presentation with leprosy reaction with no classical feature such as sensory disorders and skin lesion, the diagnosis is further delayed with misguided treatments. Herein we present a 27-year-old Indonesian immigrant who displayed clinical features mimicking that of orbital cellulitis who was later diagnosed with borderline lepromatous leprosy through histologic and PCR confirmation, in light of alerting the probability of leprosy in immigrants with intractable skin presentations.

Keyword

Borderline leprosy; Immigrants; Leprosy reaction

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Diagnosis
Emigrants and Immigrants*
Humans
Incidence
Leprosy*
Leprosy, Borderline
Leprosy, Multibacillary*
Mycobacterium leprae
Orbit*
Orbital Cellulitis*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
Sensation Disorders
Skin
Skin Diseases