CLINICAL CASES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2005 February;140(1):75-81

Copyright © 2005 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Hanseniasis: description of two cases in immigrants

Quaglino P. ¹, Salomone B. ¹, Rossotto G. ¹, Tomasini C. ²

¹ Section of Dermatology Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology 1st Dermatologic Clinic University of Turin, Turin, Italy 2 Section of Dermatology Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology 2nd Dermatologic Clinic University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Two cases of hanseniasis (one borderline tubercoloid, the other sub-polar lepromatous presumably developed from a tubercoloid interpolar variant) diagnosed in immigrants from endemic countries only after repeated unsuccessful therapeutic approaches, are reported. Leprosy in immigrants accounts for the majority of leprosy cases diagnosed nowadays in Italy. Nevertheless, the diagnosis can be difficult due to the rarity of this disease, the language difficulties and the polymorphous cutaneous picture.