Leprosy in pregnancy, years after the eradication era

Authors

  • Sumanjot Kaur Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20260907

Keywords:

Leprosy, Hansen’s disease, Pregnancy

Abstract

Hansen disease or commonly known as leprosy, is a chronic bacterial infection caused Mycobacterium leprae. It affects skin, peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. Although Hansen’s disease was eliminated as a public health problem globally in the year 2000 and in India by 2005 the reduction in number of new cases has been gradual with more than 10,000 cases being reported from countries like India, Brazil and Indonesia as per data reported in 2023. The true incidence of leprosy in pregnancy is not well reported in the post-eradication era. We report a case of leprosy first detected in pregnancy.

References

Duncan ME. An historical and clinical review of the interaction of leprosy and pregnancy: a cycle to be broken. Soc Sci Med. 1993;37(4):457-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(93)90281-8

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya virtually addresses National Anti-Leprosy Day. Available at: https://pib.gov.in/pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1894687. Accessed on 1 January 2026.

Cleveland Clinic. Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23043-leprosy-hansens-disease. Accessed on 1 January 2026.

WHO. Leprosy (Hansen disease). Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/leprosy-hansens-disease. Accessed on 1 January 2026.

Le PH, Philippeaux S, Mccollins T, Besong C, Kellar A, Klapper VG, et al. Pathogenesis, clinical considerations, and treatments: a narrative review on leprosy. Cureus. 2023;15(12):e49954. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.49954

Sarkar R, Pradhan S. Leprosy and women. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2016;2(4):117-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2016.09.001

Chen KH, Lin CY, Su SB, Chen KT. Leprosy: A Review of Epidemiology, Clinical Diagnosis, and Management. J Trop Med. 2022;2022:8652062. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8652062

Downloads

Published

2026-03-27

How to Cite

Kaur, S. (2026). Leprosy in pregnancy, years after the eradication era. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 15(4), 1398–1400. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20260907

Issue

Section

Case Reports