leprous

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Leprous is an adjective used to describe someone with leprosy, an infectious skin disease.Leprous can also mean resembling or relating to leprosy.Leprosy causes bumps and wounds on and under the skin that gradually spread and can cause muscle weakness, nerve damage, and paralysis. If not treated effectively, it can result in the loss of body parts and eventually death.Leprosy is also called Hansen’s disease, which is the name preferred by many medical professionals. It’s caused by a kind of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It can be cured with a treatment of antibiotics and other drugs.Cases of leprosy have been documented since ancient times. Due to its severe effects and contagiousness, many people who have had the disease throughout history have been stigmatized and treated as outcasts.Historically, the word leper has been used to refer to a person with leprosy. Due to the stigma, it came to be used in a more figurative way to mean an outcast or someone who is excluded, especially for behavior or opinions considered unacceptable. Though it’s much less common, the adjective leprous can also be used in this way, as in Ever since I expressed my opinion, I’ve been treated as leprous around here. However, both the figurative and literal senses of leper can be considered insensitive due to the fact that they can dehumanize those who have the disease. Although the term leprous patient is sometimes used to refer to someone with the disease, it is typically recommended to use a phrase like “a person with Hansen’s disease.”