RT Book, Section A1 Nelson, Kenrad E. A1 Scollard, David M. A2 Boulton, Matthew L. A2 Wallace, Robert B. SR Print(0) ID 1182666639 T1 Leprosy T2 Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 16e YR 2022 FD 2022 PB McGraw Hill PP New York, NY SN 9781259644511 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182666639 RD 2024/03/28 AB Leprosy or Hansen’s disease is a chronic infectious disease involving primarily the peripheral nervous system, skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. It is endemic in many countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, Latin America, southern Europe, and the Middle East. There are endemic areas of infection in the United States as well, particularly in Gulf coast states and California. The major sequelae of leprosy are physical deformities involving the extremities, face, and eyes due primarily to damage to the sensory nerves from infection by organisms of the Mycobacterium leprae-complex (M. leprae and M. lepromatosis), and the immune reaction to those pathogens. The resultant deformities often lead to stigmatization that continues after the infection becomes inactive and the patient is not infectious.