Short-course multi-drug therapy for leprosy patients.

ABSTRACT

Short-course multi-drug therapy for leprosy patients was evaluated in terms of effectiveness, recurrence rate and side effects. Of the 108 patients studied, 48.1 per cent defaulted. This MDT appeared to be quite effective in controlling leprosy. The medication could be stopped at 6 months in 83 per cent of the paucibacillary patients. The medication was continued further in 17 per cent of paucibacillary patients because of persistent skin lesions clinically and histopathologically. Recurrence occurred in 2.3 per cent of the paucibacillary patients. The effect of this regimen for multibacillary patient is difficult to evaluate because of the small number of patients studied. Side effects of this regimen occurred in 5.4 per cent of the patients. Leprosy reaction occurred in two patients with borderline lepromatous leprosy.