01417nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001600065653001200081653003000093653002200123653001100145653001200156653001500168653002600183653001300209653001700222100001100239245004200250856004100292300000800333490000700341520077700348022001401125       1993                            d  c1993 Mar10aChina10aClofazimine10aDapsone10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aFollow-Up Studies10aHumans10aleprosy10aRecurrence10aRetrospective Studies10aRifampin10aRisk Factors1 aLi H Y00aProblems of leprosy relapse in China.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v61n1a01.pdf  a1-70 v613 a<p>The proportion of relapses among all patients detected each year increased steadily since the initiation of the national leprosy control program in China with dapsone monotherapy in 1955, reaching 18%-24% in the more leprosy-endemic provinces along the coast. Relapses were also reported in the formerly rifampin-plus-dapsone-treated patients. So far, only three paucibacillary relapses after 6 months of multidrug therapy (MDT) have been reported, and these were due to misclassification at the time of diagnosis. A short course of MDT should be given to all formerly dapsone- and/or rifampin-plus-dapsone-cured patients for the prevention of relapse. If not, they should be screened every 1 to 2 years for any possible signs of relapse, and MDT given when needed.</p>  a0148-916X