From a small discolored dot on his abdomen, a young man discovered leprosy.

(Dan Tri) - A 21-year-old man (Cao Bang) discovered a small discolored dot on his abdomen, which was not painful or itchy. He went to his workplace in Quang Ninh for a check-up and was diagnosed with contact dermatitis.

Father and son both have leprosy

Master, Doctor Le Thi Mai - Head of the Line Command Department (Central Dermatology Hospital) said that the hospital is treating two cases of leprosy, father and son in the same family.

In which, the case of the son VAC (21 years old, Mong ethnic group, Cao Bang ) had been examined and treated in many places, was diagnosed with contact dermatitis, treated but did not improve.

From a small discolored dot on his waist, the young man was discovered to have leprosy (Photo: Mai Huong).

Three years earlier, Mr. C. discovered a small discolored spot on his abdomen, right at the beginning of his belt, that was not painful or itchy. The discolored spot gradually spread, with an area as wide as the palm of his hand. Because he had come to Quang Ninh for work, he went to a local hospital for examination.

He was diagnosed with contact dermatitis from the leather belt and prescribed topical and oral medications, but the redness did not subside.

In particular, Mr. C's father in Cao Bang also had skin abnormalities 3 years ago. On his father's elbow, a discolored patch appeared, causing numbness when touched. At the beginning of this year, the damaged area spread rapidly, forming many mottled red spots on his right arm, along with the skin on his left leg being dark red and purple as if it was about to die.

"Both of these cases were discovered when a team of doctors from the Central Dermatology Hospital came to examine patients in the locality. The male patient said that his mother had previously shown similar symptoms to his father, but later passed away from another illness, so it could not be accurately verified," said Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation.

According to Dr. Mai, before the team of doctors from the Central Dermatology Hospital went to examine, the team had communicated with local health authorities , instructing people that if they discovered specific abnormalities on their skin, they should go see a doctor.

Mr. C. said that when he saw that he and his father had the symptoms as instructed on the leaflet of the Central Dermatology Hospital, he returned to Cao Bang and took his father for examination.

Skin lesions on the father's hand (Photo: Mai Huong).

Dr. Mai said the father was diagnosed with multibacillary leprosy and was treated with medication for 12 months. Both patients, after about 2 weeks of inpatient treatment, will be prescribed outpatient treatment locally.

The Central Dermatology Hospital has waived all hospital fees, food costs and provided encouragement gifts.

Cure when detected early

According to Dr. Mai, leprosy is a chronic infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. This disease can be transmitted, but the infection rate is very low. In a couple living together for life, the possibility of infection is only 1-3%.

"Leprosy is a chronic infection that is very difficult to spread. Moreover, this disease is completely treatable without leaving any complications if detected early. If not detected early or treated properly, it can cause serious consequences," Dr. Mai warned.

However, leprosy is a "forgotten disease" because the incidence in the community is not high anymore, doctors often forget about this disease, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis of other skin diseases.

Currently, less than 100 new cases are detected nationwide each year, with more than 45 cases in 2024 alone. However, the situation of new cases is becoming more complicated, with the majority being polymicrobial and having atypical clinical manifestations.

Many cases were detected through examinations at the Central Dermatology Hospital in the provinces and cities.

Currently, leprosy treatment drugs are provided free of charge to patients, through funding from WHO.

However, according to Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, the leprosy prevention program is facing challenges in terms of funding and resources. It is difficult to implement nationwide screening campaigns in a uniform manner as before, leading to some cases not being detected and treated promptly.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tu-cham-nho-doi-mau-o-vung-bung-thanh-nien-tre-phat-hien-benh-phong-20250801154206907.htm