title: Fixed-duration multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy.
abstract: Six-hundred-fifty-seven active multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients were put on fixed-duration multidrug therapy (FD-MDT) between 1985 and 1992 (190 had had no and 235 had had previous treatment with dapsone) and were followed for 5 years after therapy. Two relapses occurred during year 5 of surveillance and both had received dapsone prior to chemotherapy, giving an overall relapse rate of 0.08/100 person-years (py). Excluding the two relapses, 99.4% of the MB patients converted to smear negativity at year 6 after a regular course of FD-MDT. The relapse rate for 35 MB patients with an initial bacterial index (BI) of > 4 with 5 years of surveillance was 0.24/100 py. Reactions occurred more frequently during the first 6 months of MDT, decreasing gradually thereafter, and reaching 0 in year 4 of surveillance. The deformity rate at intake was 22.7% and only 1.8% of MB patients developed new deformities or an increased grade in deformity during therapy.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tropical Medicine Research Institute, China.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012008:Recurrence; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D007917:Leprostatic Agents