Bone marrow cyto-morphological changes in multibacillary leprosy

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pathology

Background:

• Leprosy, particularly the multibacillary form, can affect various organ systems.
• Bone marrow involvement in leprosy is not fully understood.
• Cytomorphological changes in bone marrow may offer insights into disease activity and host response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cytomorphological alterations in the bone marrow of multibacillary leprosy patients.
• To detect the presence of lepra bacilli in bone marrow.
• To correlate bone marrow findings with clinical presentation and treatment status.

Main Methods:

• Bone marrow aspiration and examination from 72 multibacillary leprosy patients.
• Patients categorized into new cases (Group A) and treated cases (Group B).
• Morphological analysis for cellularity, specific cell types, and presence of bacilli.

Main Results:

• Myeloid hyperplasia observed, particularly in treated patients with erythema nodosum leprosum.
• Megaloblastic changes in erythroblasts were frequent in both groups.
• Elevated plasma cells and macrophages noted, with potential diagnostic confusion with multiple myeloma.
• Bone marrow exhibited macrophage morphological changes, collections, and epithelioid cell granulomas.

Conclusions:

• Bone marrow examination reveals significant cytomorphological changes in multibacillary leprosy.
• Findings suggest enhanced humoral response and potential for diagnostic dilemmas.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the nature and significance of these bone marrow changes.