@article{549,
  keywords = {Drug Therapy, Combination, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, India, Leprostatic Agents, leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, Secondary Prevention, World Health Organization},
  author = {Desikan KV and Sundaresh P and Tulasidas I and Rao PVR},
  title = {An 8-12 year follow-up of highly bacillated Indian leprosy patients treated with WHO multi-drug therapy.},
  abstract = {<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>To follow up highly bacillated leprosy patients for a long period after release from treatment (RFT) and to look out for possibility of relapses.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>660 patients with an initial bacterial positivity of 4 +, 5 + or 6 + who had undergone WHO multi-drug therapy and released from treatment, were followed up. The regularity of their treatment was kept high by close monitoring with home visits. They were reviewed twice, once 4 to 9 years after RFT and again 7 to 12 years after RFT. 516 patients were available in the second review. As per WHO definition, 5 patients were found to have relapsed, giving a relapse rate of 0.103 per 100 person years. This low relapse rate could be due to high regularity of treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>With well supervised MDT and high regularity of treatment and proper consumption of drugs, relapse rate is very low.</p>},
  year = {2008},
  journal = {Leprosy review},
  volume = {79},
  pages = {303-10},
  month = {2008 Sep},
  issn = {0305-7518},
  url = {https://leprosyreview.org/article/79/3/30-3310},
  language = {eng},
}