Do all Hansens disease patients develop deformities? Suffer damage to fingers and toes?
No. People with Hansen’s disease who are diagnosed and treated early avoid many of the complications associated with the disease and experience no disfigurement or disability. Problems with insensitive fingers or toes can be prevented by avoiding injury and infections to these areas, and by taking the Hansen’s disease medicines. Many patients with the tuberculoid or paucibacillary form of Hansen’s disease can even self-heal without benefit of treatment, but it is the standard of care to treat all patients identified with the disease.
