Abnormalities of the sympathetic skin response in lepromatous leprosy

✍ Scribed by Theodore R. Brown; Apichana Kovindha; Ubonwon Wathanadilokkol; Trevor Smith; George H. Kraft

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 205 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-639X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199610)19:10<1357::aid-mus19>3.0.co;2-r

✦ Synopsis

Anhydrosis is a frequent finding in leprosy although the cause is still subject to debate.14 This abnormality may result from dermal infiltration by the bacilli. Cutaneous leprosy lesions contain lymphocytic infiltration or granuloma formation involving the neurovascular bundles.16 The dermis may have reduced number of sweat glands, diminished responses to pilocarpine and carbachol injections, and reduced or absent neuropeptides associated with sudomotor functions.'.'' Anhydrosis in leprosy may be found in the cutaneous distribution of diseased peripheral nerves, most commonly the ulnar and tibia1 nerves. Furthermore, it may stem from generalized autonomic nervous dysfunction in leprosy. Previous reports have identified vasomotor sympathetic abnormalities, autonomic cardiovascular reflex abnormalities, and histopathologic involvement of the sympathetic chain, vagus nerve, and unmyelinated nerve fibers ofother peripheral nerve^.^^*^^^^^'^^-^*^^^ Sudomotor function may be examined with electrophysiological techniques. Various stimuli can elicit