Abstract : The diagnostic process of sensory-motor neuropathies is difficult. Atypical variants and rare etiologies also contribute to delay the diagnosis. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with slowly progressive asymmetric axonal sensory-motor neuropathy. Leprosy was identified after an eight-year delay. Nerve biopsy was required to establish the diagnosis: electron microscopy revealed debris of Hansen's bacillus in the nerve. Treatment was fully curative after several months. Leprosy is a rare cause of neuropathy in Europeans. Systematic inquiry about travel to endemic areas would be helpful in establishing the diagnosis. In such cases, nerve biopsy is crucial.
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00652361
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Soumis le : jeudi 15 décembre 2011 - 13:51:42 Dernière modification le : mardi 20 mars 2018 - 16:36:32
A. Gabelle, Jean-Michel Vallat, B. Flageul, P. Andre, W. Camu. [Sensory-motor neuropathy: a slow and misleading case of leprosy].. Revue Neurologique, Elsevier Masson, 2008, 164 (11), pp.964-8. ⟨10.1016/j.neurol.2007.11.004⟩. ⟨hal-00652361⟩