title: Status of long absentees among multibacillary leprosy patients admitted to a controlled clinical study.
abstract: Of 210 multibacillary leprosy patients who were admitted to a trial of two drug regimens, fifty-seven were excluded from efficacy analysis at 120 months for various reasons. Thirty-three of these patients were identified as long absentees. Efforts were made to contact these patients through letters and home visits to assess their clinical and bacteriological status and to find out the reasons for default. Twenty-one patients were thus retrieved. Only one patient was found to be having active disease requiring treatment; the rest were clinically inactive and bacteriologically negative.
authors.affiliation: Tuberculosis Research Centre, (ICMR), Chennai 600 031.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaggarajamma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
mesh_terms: D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010352:Patient Dropouts
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents