Grade 2 disabilities in leprosy patients from Brazil: Need for follow-up after completion of multidrug therapy

Fifty-one lepromatous leprosy patients, all of whom had relapsed after previous dapsone (DDS) monotherapy, were treated between 1990 and 1991 with 600 mg of rifampin (RMP) plus 400 mg of ofloxacin (OFLO) daily for 4 weeks, and the great majority of the patients were followed up at least once a year after completion of the treatment. After only 173 patient-years of follow-up, 5 relapses had been detected; the overall relapse rate was 10.0% (confidence limits, 1.7 and 18.3%), or 2.9 relapses (confidence limits, 0.4 and 5.4) per 100 patient-years. The unacceptably high relapse rate indicated that 4 weeks of treatment with daily RMP-OFLO was unable to reduce the number of viable Mycobacterium leprae organisms to a negligible level. In addition, the M. leprae from one of the relapses were proved to have multiple resistance to DDS, RMP, and OFLO. To avoid further relapses, the follow-up was terminated and the great majority of the patients were retreated with the standard 2-year multidrug therapy from 1994. No further relapse has been diagnosed since the beginning of retreatment.

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Self-Administered Drug Compliance in Nepali Leprosy Patients

Tropical Doctor ◽

10.1177/004947558901900205 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 59-61

Author(s):

P W Roche ◽

S Failbus ◽

W Britton

Keyword(s):

Colorimetric Assay ◽

Relative Sensitivity ◽

Spot Test ◽

The Self ◽

Multidrug Therapy ◽

Drug Compliance ◽

Self Administration ◽

Leprosy Patients ◽

Length Of Therapy

The self administration of dapsone by Nepali leprosy patients receiving multidrug therapy was assessed by a colorimetric and a filter paper spot test. Overall 45 out of 337 (13.3%) patients were found to be non-compliant. The relation of non-compliance to sex, age, leprosy classification, therapy type and length of therapy was investigated. The spot test was compared with the colorimetric assay and found to have a relative sensitivity of 99.3% and specificity of 95.4%. Follow up of patients was successful in that two-thirds of non-compliant patients were compliant on their follow-up test.

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Effectiveness of multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy: a long-term follow-up of 34 multibacillary leprosy patients treated with multidrug regimens till skin smear negativity

Leprosy Review ◽

10.47276/lr.74.2.141 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 141-147

Author(s):

Isaac Neeraj Shaw ◽

M. Christian ◽

K. Jesudasan ◽

Nisha Kurian ◽

Geetha S. Rao

Keyword(s):

Multidrug Therapy ◽

Leprosy Patients ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Multibacillary Leprosy

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S275 – Nasal Morphology and Nasal Patency in Leprosy Patients

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1016/j.otohns.2008.05.451 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽

pp. P167-P167

Author(s):

Maria Teresa Torres Larrosa ◽

Luis Jorge Peréz Peréz ◽

Juan-Jose Artazkoz-del Toro

Keyword(s):

Drug Therapy ◽

Therapy Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Nasal Patency ◽

Multidrug Therapy ◽

Airway Patency ◽

Expiratory Resistance ◽

Leprosy Patients ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

Objectives 1) To assess the impact of multi-drug leprosy therapy on the development of nasal deformities and nasal airway patency. 2) Evaluate the nasal morphology and nasal patency in leprosy patients treated with the multidrug therapy in comparison with patients treated with 1 drug therapy and a group of healthy volunteers. Methods In an overall group of 84 patients studied, 38 were treated with a therapy based on a single drug, and 22 were treated with multi-drug therapy, while 24 subjects formed a control group. We used anterior rhinoscopy to analised the morphology of the nose. We meassured the nasal inspiratory and expiratory resistance of the right and left nostrils and total nasal inspiratory and expiratory resistance at a transnasal pressure of 150 Pa. by using active anterior rhinomanometry. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Varianza analisys. Results The nasal structures in the 1-drug therapy group underwent bone and cartilaginous resorption with an increase in nasal resistances. We found significant statistical differences between the resistance values obtained in this group and the control group (p<0,05). In the multidrug therapy group, the morphology of the nose remains as in healthy patients. No significant statistical differences were found between the resistance values obtained in the multidrug therapy patients and the control group (P>0,05). Conclusions The multidrug therapy prevents developing nasal deformities and maintains a normal nasal airflow.

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