Laryngeal involvement causing dysphonia in a 29 year old nursing mother with lepromatous leprosy.

Leprosy is a granulomatous disease that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. It is caused by infection with mycobacterium leprae or mycobacterium lepromatosus. In most instances, diagnosis of leprosy can easily be made based on the clinical signs and symptoms. However, when patients present with atypical features, clinical diagnosis can be a challenge. We report a case of a nursing mother with lepromatous leprosy who presented with dysphonia and skin lesions initially thought to be a deep cutaneous mycosis.

Main vocal complaints of elderly patients after leprosy treatment.

UNLABELLED: Leprosy is an infectious disease, with vocal involvement varying between hoarseness and difficult breathing. AIM: Compare the main vocal complaints among elderly patients after treatment for leprosy and a control group. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive prospective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 50 patients aged over 60 years, 32 had been treated for leprosy, and the others formed the control group. We used our own questionnaire to analyze the vocal symptoms presented by the two groups, as well as gender, age, life style and comorbidities. RESULTS: Among the treated group, the most frequent symptoms were hawk (34.4%) and hoarseness (28.1%), while in the control group the most prevalent symptoms were hoarseness (77.8%) and a foreign body sensation (55.6%). CONCLUSION: The most prevalent voice complaints in patients treated for leprosy are hawking and hoarseness, and that its development is influenced by life style and associated diseases.

Principais queixas vocais de pacientes idosos pós-tratamento para hanseníase / Main vocal complaints of elderly patients after leprosy treatment

A hanseníase é uma doença infecto-contagiosa, cujo comprometimento vocal manifesta-se desde rouquidão à dificuldade respiratória. OBJETIVO: Comparar as principais queixas vocais entre pacientes idosos pós-tratamento para hanseníase e um grupo controle. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Descritivo prospectivo. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Foram incluídos 50 pacientes com idade superior a 60 anos; 32 haviam sido tratados para hanseníase e os demais constituíram o grupo-controle. Houve aplicação de questionário próprio, sendo analisados os sintomas vocais apresentados pelos dois grupos,assim como sexo, faixa etária, hábitos de vida e comorbidades. RESULTADOS: Dentro do grupo pós-tratamento, os sintomas mais frequentes foram pigarro (34,4 por cento) e rouquidão (28,1 por cento), enquanto que no grupo controle os sintomas mais prevalentes foram pigarro (77,8 por cento) e sensação de corpo estranho (55,6 por cento). CONCLUSÃO: Os sintomas vocais mais prevalentes em pacientes pós-tratamento para hanseníase são o pigarro e a rouquidão e sua evolução é influenciada pelos hábitos de vida e por doenças associadas.

Leprosy is an infectious disease, with vocal involvement varying between hoarseness and difficult breathing. AIM: compare the main vocal complaints among elderly patients after treatment for leprosy and a control group. STUDY DESIGN: descriptive prospective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 50 patients aged over 60 years, 32 had been treated for leprosy, and the others formed the control group. We used our own questionnaire to analyze the vocal symptoms presented by the two groups, as well as gender, age, life style and comorbidities. RESULTS: among the treated group, the most frequent symptoms were hawk (34.4 percent) and hoarseness (28.1 percent), while in the control group the most prevalent symptoms were hoarseness (77.8 percent) and a foreign body sensation (55.6 percent). CONCLUSION: the most prevalent voice complaints in patients treated for leprosy are hawking and hoarseness, and that its development is influenced by life style and associated diseases.

Emergency in leprosy: involvement of the larynx.

We present eight patients with larynx involvement in leprosy. Seven were classified as lepromatous and one was borderline leprosy in reversal reaction. One patient required an emergency tracheostomy and one had an almost complete uppe airway obstruction.

Amiloidosis laringea / Laryngeal amyloidosis

Paciente de 48 anos quien ingreso al servicio de otorrinolaringologia del Hospital Clinica San Rafael de Bogota. Consulto por Disfonia progresiva de 2 anos de evolucion, como antecedentes, fumador ocasional durante 20 anos. Al examen fisico se encontro a la nasolaringoscopia masa de aspecto regular, de coloracion amarillo rojizo que ocupaba region supraglotica izquierda, region supraglotica y glotica derecha con disminucion del espacio glotico, no se observan las cuerdas vocales verdaderas y no habia compromiso del esofago. Estudios realizados: Rx de esofago RGE II: normal. Tomografia de laringe: lesion tumoral de la zona glotica la cual se extiende a la zona subglotica e infraglotica con fijacion de ambas cuerdas vocales especialmente la derecha y con compromisos de la comisura anterior. Biopsia: Amiloidosis laringea. Se practicaron todos los estudios por parte de Medicina Interna los cuales fueron negativos para Amiloidosis sistemica.En el trabajo se hace una revision completa de la Amiloidosis laringea. Esta enfermedad es una acumulacion de complejos proteinicos anormales (sustancia amiloidea) bastante rara en el tracto respiratorio superior. La laringe es el sitio masfrecuente y ocupa el 1% de la patologia. La sustancia amiloidea fue descubierta por Birchow en 1853. La clasificacion mas sencilla es: amiloidosis primaria sistematica. Se puede relacionar con mioloma multiple, TBC, artritis reumatoidea sifilis, lepra y a tumores preexistentes en laringe, ademas puede ser hereditaria. La Amiloidosis ataca los organos mesenquimatosos y parenquimatosos.

Granulomatous diseases of the larynx

The inflammatory processes that involve the larynx can take many forms, with the granulomatous disorders invariably representing the end consequences of chronic disease. In the past, laryngeal granulomas were more prevalent, primarily because of the frequency of tuberculosis.More recently such lesions often have been diagnosed by clinicians attempting to rule out carcinoma.

Medical and surgical aspects of the granulomatous diseases of the larynx

Granulomatous diseases of the larynx are often clinically unususpected and may present a wide spectrum of symptoms and physical findings. A thorough otolaryngologic examination is imperative because granulomatous infiltration of the entire upper respiratory tract may precede or coexist with laryngeal involvement.