Document Type
Article
Department
Internal Medicine
Abstract
An inflammatory polyarthritis has been previously described in leprosy but accounts of the clinical characteristics have varied. All patients with joint symptoms admitted to a leprosy centre over 5 months were examined by a rheumatologist. Of 48 acute admissions, 20 (42%) had a symmetrical polyarthritis affecting the wrists and fingers. This was strikingly similar to RA in appearance. The arthritis occurred exclusively in patients with reactions mainly during anti-mycobacterial treatment. The clinical features of the joint disorder were identical in Type I (associated with alterations in immune status) and Type II (erythema nodosum leprosum) reactions. Synovial tissue from one patient revealed no mycobacteria. Four of five hand X-rays suggested small erosions of the finger joints.
Publication (Name of Journal)
British Journal of Rheumatology
Recommended Citation
Gibson, T.,
Ahsan, Q.,
Hussein, K.
(1994). Arthritis of leprosy. British Journal of Rheumatology, 33(10), 963-966.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_med_intern_med/45