A nine-year clinico-epidemiological study of Histoid Hansen in India

Histoid Hansen is rare but a well-defined entity with specific clinical, histopathological, and bacteriological features. The incidence has been reported to vary from 1-2% amongst total leprosy patients.

We performed a retrospective analysis of the records of patients identified as histoid Hansen on the basis of clinico-histopathological criteria, who attended the Hansen clinic from 2000-2009.

A total of 962 leprosy patients attended the Hansen clinic from 2000-2009, and of these, 11 (1.14%) were diagnosed as histoid Hansen. The youngest patient on record was 14 years of age. Nearly 70% of the patients were untreated and the rest were on multidrug therapy (MDT) before development of histoid lesions. Three patients showed Erythema nodusum leposum (ENL) reaction.

India has achieved elimination of leprosy, but new cases of histoid are still recorded with the same incidence rate. Reactions are not uncommon in such forms, and may be a transition phase to manifest lepromatous leprosy. A thorough knowledge and early detection is needed for this uncommon variant of leprosy which can pose a threat to our elimination drive.