Extensive Lepromatous Lymphadenitis Preceding Lesions on the Face and Earlobes: An Unusual Presentation of Leprosy in Singapore

Abstract

Leprosy is also known as Hansen disease, as in some countries the diagnosis of leprosy carries a negative stigma and patients fear being shunned as outcasts. Presently, leprosy is primarily limited to specific geographical regions in resource-poor countries. As a result, there is increased difficulty for the younger generation of physicians today to correctly identify leprosy due to a lack of exposure and a low-index of suspicion, particularly in developed countries. In this case, the indurated lesions over the face demonstrated a preference for the outer lateral aspects over the maxillary areas, the nose bridge, and the pinna of the ears consistent with the organism’s preference for cooler regions of the body. This was also evident in the other skin lesions affecting the more acral regions of the limbs in the early stage of disease progression. There is a need to keep this infective condition as an alternate diagnosis to all unusual cutaneous lesions.

Keywords

• Lepromatous leprosy
• Lepromatous lymphadenitis
• Mycobacterium leprae