Depending on how much natural resistance a person has, leprosy appears in 2 different forms. You can count the number of skin patches to find out to find out the type of leprosy a person has—people with Pauci-Bacillary (PB) have up to 5 skin patches, while people with Multi-Bacillary (MB) leprosy have more than 5 skin patches.
PAUCI-BACILLARY (PB)
MULTI-BACILLARY (MB)
in persons with relatively high resistance
no bacilli in skin smear
Person cannot pass leprosy on to others.
Person may have up to 5 skin patches, variable in appearance, but often have raised margins and flat centers.
Feeling is reduced or absent in centers of the skin patches.
Skin on the face is not thickened.
Nerve damage appears early, but usually involves loss of feeling only in patches of skin. Usually it does not affect the eyes, hands, or feet. When it does, it often happens early and causes loss of feeling or strength in only one hand or foot.
in persons with low resistance
bacilli—few to many in skin smears
Person can pass leprosy to others (until treated).
more than 5 skin patches, raised or flat with irregular edges, and usually some loss of feeling; patches about the same on both sides of the body
The skin of the face may become thick, lumpy, reddish, especially over the eyebrows, cheeks, nose and ears.
loss of eyebrows
ear lobe thick and lumpy
nostrils sometimes collapse
THE “LION FACE” OF LEPROMATOUS LEPROSY
Severe nerve damage often results, with loss of feeling and loss of strength in both hands and feet, with deformities.
