Role of multisegmental nerve ultrasound in the diagnosis of leprosy neuropathy
Andrea De Martino Luppi, Guilherme Emílio Ferreira, Isabella Sabião Borges, Douglas Eulálio Antunes, Lúcio Araújo, Diogo Fernandes dos Santos, Marcello Henrique Nogueira-Barbosa, Isabela Maria Bernardes Goulart
Abstract
Leprosy is the most common treatable peripheral neuropathy worldwide. The detection of peripheral nerve impairment is essential for its diagnosis and treatment, in order to prevent stigmatizing deformities and disabilities.
Introduction
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae that mainly involves the nerves and skin. Its clinical forms are defined by the host immune response and bacillary load, resulting in a wide clinical spectrum [1, 2].
Materials and methods
We recruited leprosy patients from the National Reference Center of Sanitary Dermatology and Leprosy in Brazil, under the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Uberlândia (CAAE: 23136419.3.0000.5152).
Results
In the group of LPs, there were 32 men (60.4%) and 21 women (39.6%), with a mean age of 46.9 ± 15.3 years, while the group of HVs was composed of 33 women (62.3%) and 20 men (37.7%), with a mean age of 40.9 ± 12.0 years.
Discussion
The present study systematically evaluated the measurements of the peripheral nerves of upper and lower limbs in LPs assisted in a national reference center for leprosy in Brazil, using a multisegmental US method.
Acknowledgments
The authors express sincere gratitude to the staff of the National Reference Center for Sanitary Dermatology and Leprosy (CREDESH) for contributing to this research, in addition to providing excellent care to the leprosy patients.
Citation: De Martino Luppi A, Ferreira GE, Borges IS, Antunes DE, Araújo L, dos Santos DF, et al. (2024) Role of multisegmental nerve ultrasound in the diagnosis of leprosy neuropathy. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0305808. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305808
Editor: Leila Harhaus, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, GERMANY
Received: March 15, 2024; Accepted: June 5, 2024; Published: July 18, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 De Martino Luppi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.
Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Abbreviations: Anti-PGL-1 IgM, anti-phenolic glycolipid-1 IgM antibodies; BT, Borderline-tuberculoid; BB, Borderline-borderline; BL, Borderline-lepromatous; CF, common fibular nerve; CREDESH, National Reference Center for Sanitary Dermatology and Leprosy; CSA, cross-sectional area; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; HV, healthy volunteers; LL, lepromatous; LP, leprosy patients; MB, multibacillary; Mpt, median nerve proximal to the carpal tunnel; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; Mt, median nerve in the carpal tunnel; p, probability; PB, paucibacillary; qPCR, quantitative real-time PCR; Real-Time PCR, Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction; SD, standard deviation; Tpt, tibial nerve proximal to the tarsal tunnel; Tt, tibial nerve in the tarsal tunnel; Upt, ulnar nerve proximal to the cubital tunnel; US, ultrasound; Ut, ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel; WHO, World Health Organization; ΔCSA, CSA index for; ΔMtpt, Mt-Mpt index for median nerve; ΔTtpt, Tt-Tpt index for tibial nerve; ΔUtpt, Ut-Upt index for ulnar nerve; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval.
Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0305808#abstract0
