A 67-year-old man had a diagnosis of dapsone-resistant lepromatous leprosy. He received clofazimine (Lamprene) at a dosage of 100 mg twice daily. After 3 years of therapy, results of slit-lamp examination disclosed myriad polychromatic crystals diffusely involving the cornea and perilimbal conjunctiva of both eyes. Thick sections (1 micron) from a conjunctival biopsy showed numerous rectangular-to-rhomboidal crystals within stromal fibroblasts and macrophages. By electron microscopy, these cells contained elongated, membrane-bound, cleft-like spaces that corresponded to the sites where crystals had been present previously. Additionally, complex lipid inclusions were observed in mesenchymal cells as well as in endothelial cells and pericytes of blood vessels. The ocular side effects of clofazimine therapy are reviewed. Clofazimine-induced keratopathy should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with polychromatic crystalline deposits in the corneas. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this complication of clofazimine therapy has not been described previously.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0161-6420(89)33071-5 | DOI Listing |
Cureus
November 2024
Dermatology, The Oxford Medical College, Hospital, and Research Centre, Bangalore, IND.
Leprosy is a chronic, infectious, and debilitating disorder that primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. The disease course may be complicated by immune-mediated reactions during or after therapy, which may further worsen nerve damage. Type II lepra reaction (T2LR) is a painful inflammatory condition with systemic features, such as fever, tender erythematous nodules, arthritis, neuritis, orchitis, lymphadenitis, and iritis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Case Rep
December 2024
Division of Infectious Diseases, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA.
Background: Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is an infectious disease most common in resource-limited countries caused by the acid-fast bacilli Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis that frequently affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with multidrug therapy is crucial to reduce disease transmission and sequelae, which include nerve function impairment, ocular injury, and stigmatizing physical deformities. Traditional treatment of multibacillary leprosy consists of 12-24 months of multidrug therapy with dapsone, rifampin, and clofazimine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
December 2024
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
, a leading non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) pathogen, causes chronic pulmonary infections, particularly in individuals with underlying lung conditions or immunosuppression. Current treatments involve prolonged multi-drug regimens with poor outcomes and significant side effects, highlighting the urgent need for improved therapies. Using a BALB/c mouse model of chronic pulmonary disease, we evaluated the efficacy of individual antibiotics-clarithromycin, clofazimine, and rifabutin-and combination regimens including clarithromycin+bedaquiline and clarithromycin+clofazimine+bedaquiline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Case Rep
December 2024
Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
A young male in his late 20s presented with brownish discolouration of the conjunctiva and periocular area of both eyes. He was diagnosed as a case of lepromatous leprosy with recurrent type II lepra reaction 4 years ago and was started on multidrug therapy-multi bacillary, which included clofazimine. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Negl Trop Dis
December 2024
Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine multi-drug therapy (MDT) for the treatment of leprosy. Severe adverse effects include dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome, skin pigmentation, haemolytic anaemia, and hepatitis. At the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), London, United Kingdom monthly rifampicin, ofloxacin and minocycline (mROM) is used as first line treatment for leprosy.
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