Borderline tuberculoid leprosy misdiagnosed as erysipelas: A case report and literature review.
Qian Zhang, Huijing Zheng, Yu Liu et al.
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Case in brief
A 51-year-old woman presented with a 20-day history of erythema, swelling, numbness, and pain in her right upper limb, initially diagnosed as erysipelas. After no improvement with treatment, a repeat skin smear revealed Mycobacterium leprae, leading to a revised diagnosis of leprosy, confirmed by histopathological examination and a positive acid-fast stain.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Clinicians should be aware that a negative smear does not rule out leprosy; repeat testing and histopathological correlation are essential when clinical suspicion remains high.