Leprosy

What is Hansen’s disease?

It is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves, resulting in immunological disorders.
As of now, it has not been successfully cultured artificially, and the multiplication rate of the bacterium is very slow, with an incubation period known to be 5 to 30 years.

Status of Hansen’s disease

Since 2008, single-digit new cases have been reported, and in 2024, a total of 5 new cases of Hansen’s disease were reported, all of whom were foreigners.

2015년부터 2024년까지 한센병 환자 현황, 내국인과 외국인 환자 수 비교 그래프

Symptoms of Hansen’s disease

The main symptoms of Hansen's disease include skin lesions with decreased sensation, nodules, papules, spots, and rashes, as well as peripheral nerve thickening or sensory nerve paralysis and pain.

Arm
Face
Leg
Philtrum
Eyebrow
Back

Diagnosis of Hansen’s disease

Clinical symptoms of Hansen’s disease must be present along with the following test results.
- Confirmation of Mycobacterium leprae by molecular biological testing methods
- Confirmation of Hansen’s disease granuloma findings in the tissue biopsy
- Confirmation of acid-fast bacilli in the smear test of the lesion (acid-fast staining)

Treatment of Hansen’s disease

It is a curable disease through multidrug therapy (dapsone, rifampicin, clofazimine) that prevents transmission to others.

Mycobacterium leprae is a disease with very low contagiousness, as 99.9% of the bacteria are killed by a single dose of rifampicin, thus eliminating the contagiousness, so it is not transmitted through daily activities (such as casual contact or handshakes).