What is Leprosy Health Insurance? Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Having a chronic disease like Leprosy is an alarm to getting insured under a health insurance policy. Do you know why? Leprosy is an infectious disease that affects people of all age groups, especially youngsters and old-age individuals. As per the reports, 57% of Leprosy cases stand alone from India. And, considering the inflation in the healthcare sector, it has become substantially important to buy health insurance to get Leprosy treatment without worrying about funds. Let’s learn about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and diagnosis of Leprosy in detail. 

What is Leprosy? 

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Mostly, the disease affects the skin, mucosal surfaces, peripheral nerves, and the eyes of an individual. Early prevention and medication can cure Leprosy. However, if left untreated, it can result in critical illnesses such as paralysis, blindness, disfigurement of the nose, and chronic ulcers at the bottom of the feet. An infected person may not exhibit the symptoms of Leprosy for upto 20 years. 

What Are the Types of Leprosy? 

Leprosy is classified into two main categories- Ridley Jopely Classification and the World Health Organization (WHO). Both of them are explained in the section below. 

Ridley Jopely Classification 

• Tuberculoid Leprosy is when an individual suffers from fewer lesions. 
• Borderline Tuberculoid Leprosy occurs when small leisures happen with more nerve enlargement. 
• Mid-borderline Leprosy is when a person experiences reddish plaques with moderate numbness and swollen lymph nodes. 
• Borderline Lepromatous Leprosy is a severe condition under which an individual suffers from many leisures along with raised bumps and plaques. 
• Lepromatous Leprosy leads to the disfigurement of the face, limb weakness, hair loss, and several lesions in an individual. 

World Health Organization Classification (WHO)

• Paucibaciliary Leprosy under which the person suffers from fewer skin lesions with no or fewer bacterium on the skin.
• Multibaciliary Leprosy is where the person suffers from multiple skin lesions and the bacterium is visible on the skin. 

What Are the Symptoms of Leprosy? 

The symptoms of Leprosy may differ from one person to another person. However, some common symptoms of Leprosy are highlighted in the section below. 

• Muscle fatigue
• Nose blockage and bleeding
• Ulcers on the soles of your feet
• Numbness in hands, feet, arms, and legs
• Paralysis of small muscles 
• Facial disfigurement
• Hair loss 
• Partial or complete blindness
• Dry and cracked skin 

Diagnosis And Treatment of Leprosy

Primarily, a doctor will examine the physical signs and symptoms of Leprosy. Considering this, the doctor will conduct a biopsy on a small sample of the skin followed by a skin smear test to detect the type of Leprosy. Further, the doctor will ask you to undergo a lepromin skin test where a small dose of inactive Leprosy is injected into the person. After a few days, the skin patch will be visible on an infected person. 

You can cure Leprosy if you detect it at the earliest stage. World Health Organization (WHO) introduced multi-drug therapy to treat Leprosy. Usually, the treatment course lasts from six months to one year depending on the severity of the disease. 

Health Insurance For Leprosy in India 

Health insurance is a tool that provides financial coverage to you and your family during a medical emergency. In India, numerous health insurance companies provide critical illness coverage to customers. You can get coverage for Leprosy treatment by purchasing an additional critical illness rider with your standard health insurance policy. As a result, you won’t have to worry about excessive medical costs and the treatment of Leprosy. 

Conclusion 

Leprosy is a curable disease that can be prevented by early diagnosis. Therefore, when purchasing a health insurance policy, ensure that you purchase a critical illness health insurance rider to enhance the coverage of your plan and stay protected against chronic diseases like Leprosy.

Also read: How To Save Tax Up to 1 Lakh With Health Insurance