Leprosy in the United States

Preview

Don't assume that you will never see a case of leprosy in your primary care practice. This journal's editor-in-chief saw two cases in one month while directing a residency program in internal medicine in a northern US hospital. The influx of immigrants, particularly from Latin America and Third World countries, has brought this ancient disease into the modern primary care setting. According to Drs Pust and Campos-Outcalt, appropriate care rests on a high index of suspicion on the physician's part, especially in regard to foreign-born patients, and a basic knowledge of leprosy's clinical types, diagnostic methods, treatment regimens, and resources for referral.