02038nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653001500054653001500069653001700084653001000101100001300111700001200124700001200136245008300148856008000231300001200311490000700323520150200330       2014                            d10aleprosy10aEvaluation10aAntibodies10aNerve damage10aEgypt1 aSABRY HH1 aSALEH A1 aSABRY J00aEvaluation of Serum Anti-Ceramide Antibody Levels in Egyptian Leprosy Patients  uhttp://medicaljournalofcairouniversity.net/Home/images/pdf/2014/june/17.pdf  a395-3990 v823 aBackground:
Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease affecting skin and nerves. The nerve damage that occurs in lep-rosy is the most serious aspect of this disease as nerve damage leads to progressive impairment and disability. It is important to identify markers of nerve damage so that preventive measures can be taken.
Objective:
To evaluate anti-ceramide antibody as a reliable marker in the assessment of nerve damage in paucibacillary and multibacillary leprosy patients.
Patients and Methods:
The present study included a total of 50 leprosy patients (25 paucibacillary and 25 multibacil-lary) and 50 healthy controls. Serum levels of anti-ceramide antibody were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Results were reported in optical density (OD) units as mean±SD and analyzed by Chi square test (significance at p <0.05).
Results:
MB leprosy patients had significantly higher (p <0.001) anti-ceramide antibody serum levels compared to PB leprosy patients and healthy controls (0.633±0.150, 0.345 ± 0.099 and 0.143±0.058, respectively). The serum level of ACA was significantly correlated with the duration of the dis-
ease in both PB and MB groups (r=0.676 & 0.653; p <0.001) respectively.
Conclusions:
It is important to identify markers of nerve damage in leprosy patients so that preventive measures can be taken. Anticeramide antibodies can serve as a marker for nerve damage by showing the extent of nerve damage, allowing for better management.