26th Kellersberger Memorial Lecture. Lessons from leprosy rehabilitation for general rehabilitation

Leprosy is primarily a disease of skin and peripheral nerves. Because of nerve function impairment, leprosy patients may develop primary nerve related impairments such as, loss of sensation and weakness or paralysis. These primary impairments may lead to secondary impairments such as ulceration and contractures. Many other diseases and disorders present with similar impairments as seen in leprosy e.g. diabetes and peripheral nerve injuries. Nerve function assessment and ulcer prevention and treatment are areas that have been researched in leprosy but these research findings are not yet commonly known and adopted in diseases and disorders that 'relate' to leprosy. Rehabilitation is a relatively new field in medicine and not (well) developed in many developing countries. Rehabilitation requires an integrated approach from different disciplines and professionals. As for other medical specialty fields, rehabilitation demands evidence based practice.