01567nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001100065653000900076653001900085653003000104653001100134653002200145653001100167653001400178653002300192653001200215653000900227653001600236653001500252653001700267653001700284653002200301100001200323700001700335700001200352245007500364856005900439300001100498490000700509050003200516520061900548022001401167       2000                            d  c2000 Sep10aAdult10aAfrica10aAged10aCohort Studies10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aFemale10aFollow-Up Studies10aHumans10aIncidence10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aRecurrence10aRisk Factors10aTime Factors10aTreatment Outcome1 aGebre S1 aSaunderson P1 aByass P00aRelapses after fixed duration multiple drug therapy: the AMFES cohort.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/2000/v71n3/pdf/v71n3a12.pdf  a325-310 v71  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>Relapse rates after multiple-drug therapy (MDT) have been low, although there remains a concern about the possibility of late relapse in those with an initially high bacterial load. In all, 502 patients in the AMFES cohort completed fixed-duration MDT and are included in this report. There have been no confirmed relapses in the AMFES cohort, in a follow-up period of up to 8 years after completion of treatment, even in the 57 cases with an initial average bacillary index of > or = 4.0, 20 of whom have been followed for more than 5 years after ceasing MDT. Methods of diagnosing a relapse are discussed.</p>  a0305-7518