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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

ALS - Motor Neuron Disease: Mechanism and Development of New Therapies
Published on: July 29, 2007
[Sensory-motor neuropathy: a slow and misleading case of leprosy]
A Gabelle1, J M Vallat, B Flageul
1Service de neurologie-explorations, CHU Gui-de-Chauliac, 80, avenue Augustin-Fliche, 34285 Montpellier cedex 05, France.
Abstract:
The diagnostic process of sensory-motor neuropathies is difficult. Atypical variants and rare etiologies also contribute to delay the diagnosis. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with slowly progressive asymmetric axonal sensory-motor neuropathy. Leprosy was identified after an eight-year delay. Nerve biopsy was required to establish the diagnosis: electron microscopy revealed debris of Hansen's bacillus in the nerve. Treatment was fully curative after several months. Leprosy is a rare cause of neuropathy in Europeans. Systematic inquiry about travel to endemic areas would be helpful in establishing the diagnosis. In such cases, nerve biopsy is crucial.
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