Multiple cold abscesses in a borderline lepromatous patient on multidrug therapy.

A 25-year-old male patient was diagnosed as a case of borderline lepromatous (BL) type of leprosy in erythema nodosum leprosum type reaction. He was put on multidrug treatment. He took regular treatment. Approximately a year after the beginning of the treatment he developed multiple cold abscesses and later tuberculosis of the left hip joint. He was given antitubercular treatment with 4 drugs and the abscesses were treated surgically. He showed good response. This unusual case and the role of intermittent rifampicin is discussed.