01982nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001100002600042700001500068700001200083700001900095700001800114700001500132700001200147245013800159856005100297300001100348490000700359520139600366022001401762       2016                            d1 aSecchin-De-Andrade PJ1 aHacker MAV1 aSales A1 aDalvi-Garcia F1 aCosta Nery JA1 aMenezes VM1 aSarno E00aCorticosteroid therapy in borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients co-infected with HIV undergoingreversal reaction: a clinical study.  uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/87/4/51-6525  a516-250 v873 a<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mycobacterium leprae and HIV cause infectious diseases of great concern for the public health care sector worldwide. Both are especially worrisome diseases when patients become co-infected and exhibit the expected clinical exuberance. The objective of this study was to evaluate episodes of reversal reaction (RR) and the effect of the use of corticosteroids on the treatment of borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).</p>

<p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a retrospective cohort study in which the clinical manifestations of the patients and their responses to corticosteroid therapy were observed. Variables were analysed during and after multidrug therapy between the first and last days of prednisone, which occurred up to a maximum of 6 months after initiating corticosteroid therapy.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 22 HIV-positive and 28 HIV-negative cases were included. Loss of sensitivity and neural thickening were statistically significant while clinically ulcerated lesions were only observed in the co-infected group. Most patients were diagnosed with leprosy in the presence of RR and six patients manifested RR as an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. On average, both groups received similar doses of corticosteroids (difference of 0·1 mg/kg/day).</p>
  a0305-7518