Britannica Sources used in this answer

Can leprosy treatment reverse nerve damage that has already become permanent?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Sign reading Gandhiji Prem Nivas Leprosy Centre Titagarh conducted by Missionaries of Charity, with a crucifix above the sign on a decorated building facade. — leprosy The Gandhiji Prem Nivas is a center for people with leprosy that was established by Mother Teresa in 1958 and is run by the Missionaries of Charity in Titagarh, India.

No, leprosy treatment cannot reverse nerve damage that has already become permanent.

While current multidrug therapy is extremely effective at killing the leprosy bacillus and halting the progression of the disease, it has no effect on body tissues that have already been destroyed. Nerve function can be restored by antileprosy drugs only up to a certain point; once the disease has progressed beyond that threshold, the resulting loss of function—which may include paralysis or loss of sensation—is permanent.1