Osteoarchaeological evidence for leprosy from western Central Asia.

Published reports of palaeopathological analyses of skeletal collections from Central Asia are, to date, scarce. During the macroscopic examination of skeletal remains dating to the early first millennium AD from the Ustyurt Plateau, Uzbekistan, diagnostic features suggestive of leprosy were found on one individual from Devkesken 6. This adult female exhibited rhinomaxillary changes indicative of leprosy: resorption of the anterior nasal spine, rounding and widening of the nasal aperture, erosion of the alveolar margin, loss of a maxillary incisor, and inflammatory changes in the hard palate. While it is unclear whether the bones of the hands and the feet from this individual were absent as a result of collection strategy or poor preservation, lesions affecting the tibia and fibula were recorded, and the ways in which they may be related to a diagnosis of leprosy are discussed. This is the first skeletal evidence of leprosy from Central Asia and raises questions not only about the spread of the disease in the past, but also about the living conditions of what traditionally were thought of as nomadic peoples.

Nasal myiasis in leprosy leading to unusual tissue destruction.

Nasal mucosal involvement is a constant feature in lepromatous leprosy (1). Granulomatous infiltration of nasal mucosa and consequent sensory loss may result in atrophic rhinitis and or painless ulceration, which is usually asymptomatic except for later complications of epistaxis, septal perforation, inflammation, and/or myiasis in long neglected patients. An unusual destruction of nasal architecture mimicking cancrum oris caused by myiasis in lepromatous leprosy is described for its rarity.

Facies leprosa: resorption of maxillary anterior alveolar bone and the anterior nasal spine in patients with lepromatous leprosy in Mali.

Resorption of the anterior nasal spine and alveolar bone in the anterior maxilla was measured in 39 patients with lepromatous leprosy in Mali. Bone resorption occurred in both of these sites, but resorption in one did not predict resorption in the other. These data are interpreted to mean that resorptions of bone anterior (nasal spine) or inferior (alveolar bone) to bacillary populations in the nasal mucosa of patients with lepromatous disease in Mali occur independently.

Alteraçöes ósseas da face na hanseníase Virchowiana / Facial bone changes in Virchowian Hansen's disease

Objetivando verificar a ocorrência das alteraçöes que acometem certas estruturas esqueléticas da face, foram analisados clínica e radiograficamente, num estudo longitudinal com intervalo de 3 anos, 70 hansenianos virchowianos do Hospital "Lauro de Souza Lima", com idade média de 45,41 anos e de 48,41 anos, respectivamente para o 1§ e 2§ exames. os resultados encontrados permitiram determinar as prevalências de alteraçöes, considerando o tempo de duraçäo da moléstia

[Facial bone changes in Virchowian Hansen's disease]. / Alterações ósseas da face na hanseníase virchowiana.

Aiming to verify the occurrence of alterations in certain skeletal structures in lepromatous face, 70 patients from the "Hospital Lauro de Souza Lima", were clinically and radiographically analysed through a longitudinal study with a 3 years interval: their average age was of 45.41 years and 48.41 years respectively for the first and second examinations.

Changes in the anterior nasal spine and the alveolar process of the macillae in leprosy a clinical examination.

A brief review is presented of the Danish medieval skeletons with leprosy changes, particularly in the skulls, where the pathologic specific changes found are termed facies leprosa. The clinical aspect of facies leprosa is termed Bergen Syndrome I (nasal leprosy) and Bergen Syndrome II (the leprogenic changes of the alveolar process of the maxilla superior with loosening and/or loss of the frontal incisors). An account is given of the interim result of a clinical examination of 333 inpatients at the Prapradaeng Leprosarium in Bangkok, Thailand. In the group of 258 patients with lepromatous leprosy, 62.4% presented Bergen Syndrome I and 16.3% Bergen Syndrome II. These proportions differ clearly from the corresponding ratio found in the Danish medieval skulls.