Leprosy-damaged hands and feet

Many people are terrified of catching leprosy and some even see it as a curse. This means that, for some, a diagnosis of leprosy can lead to divorce, loss of work, home and friends. Not only are they stigmatised but so are their relatives. Therefore people will often hide their symptoms rather than seeking help and medication, which eventually causes more physical damage and leads to disability.

If leprosy is not treated it will attack the larger nerves that supply feeling to the hands, feet, eyes and parts of the face. So when a person hurts themselves, for example through treading on something sharp or holding something hot, they do not feel pain and so it is easy for them to ignore their injuries. This can lead to serious ulcers and infection. Over time, repeated injury and infection cause the bones to shorten, so the fingers, toes and hands and feet may get shorter. If larger nerves stop working they stop sending signals to the muscles and tendons so there is no movement. This can lead to 'clawing' of the fingers, where the fingers bend into the palm, and 'drop foot', where the foot drags along the ground. Leprosy can also affect sweat glands, which keep the skin soft. If these stop working, the skin on the hands and feet will get very dry and cracked and wounds will develop more easily.

Leprosy can damage the eye nerves so that the eyelid muscles stop working, which would normally make the eyes blink regularly to keep them moist and clean. If this happens the person will not be able to close their eyes, even if they try. Without this natural cleaning and protection a person can eventually become blind. Leprosy can damage the bones of the nose. In time this causes the nose to collapse and flatten.