Treatment of paucibacillary leprosy.
BACKGROUND
When multidrug therapy was introduced a decade ago to shorten the duration of treatment, paucibacillary leprosy was advocated 6 months of treatment. The diagnosis is based mainly on clinical and histopathologic examination, negative slit-skin smear examination, and positive lepromin test.


METHODS
The case records of 508 paucibacillary leprosy patients attending our urban leprosy center have been analyzed with reference to regularity of therapy, response to multidrug regimen, follow-up, and relapse.


RESULTS
The incidence of paucibacillary leprosy was found to be 37%. Defaulter rate was 45%. Nine percent of the cases attended the center with deformities emphasizing the need for corrective surgery and early case detection to prevent them.


CONCLUSIONS
The main problem that we faced was the optimum duration of treatment, which is as yet an unsettled question. The opinions of other workers have been given, and a slight modification in current WHO regimen has been suggested without significantly affecting the cost of therapy.
Saxena
U
U
Department of Dermatology, Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Misra
R S
RS
Ramesh
V
V
D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015439:Leprosy, Borderline / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015441:Leprosy, Tuberculoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction
D007917:Leprostatic Agents