An evaluation of clinical and histopathological status in paucibacillary leprosy patients after completion of sixed duration therapy

ABSTRACT

The presente study was carried out involving 25 patients with paucibacillary leprosy who attended the outpatient department of dermatology of Father Muller's Medical College Hospital during the period January 2001 to March 2002. All the patients were examined clinically and histopathologically at the beginning and at the end of six months of MDT and relevant data recorded. Clinicopathological correlation with histopathological classification before MDT was 72% and 68% at the end of MDT in our study. At the end of treatment 4 (16%) cases were clinically active and 8 (32%) were histopathologically active. The study showed that active cases were siginificantly reduced as a result of MDT, both clinically and histopatologically. The histopathological activity that outlasts MDT may be due to the bacillary fragments that persist; but clincial activity coupled with histopathological activity seen in 2 patients at the end of 6 months of MDT was possibly an indicator of relapse and these patients and similar others need to be follewed up for a longer duration. Is this study, resolution of granuloma and clinical activity after completion of MDT were assessed