Early prediction of neuropathic wrist arthropathy in Egyptian leprotic patients

ABSTRACT

Leprosy is a chronic dermatologic and neurologic condition caused by the organism, an obligate intracellular acid fast bacillus with a predilection for dermal and neural cells [John, 2006]. We investigated the early prediction of the neuropathic wrist arthropathy in Egyptian leprotic patients. Thirty six leprotic patients [26 males and 10 females] their ages ranged from 15-60 years with mean [44.83+16.75] and the disease duration ranged from 1-35 years with mean [15.70+4.70] in addition to thirty control subjects[22 males and 8 females] their age ranged from 12-58 years with mean [32.03+11.99] were included in the study. Careful history examination with a special attention to family history, Neurological examination and Rheumatological and Radiological examination of both wrists joints, ESR, CBC, RF, urine and stool analysis and kidney and liver functions. The wrist joints are highly significantly involved in the patients group than in the control group with a higher predilection to the sensory impaired patients than the motor impaired patients. We can conclude that the radio carpal joints may be affected by neuropathic arthropathy in leprotic patients with sensory impairment