01555nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002100055653002200076653002600098653002700124653001100151653001200162653001800174653001900192653001800211653001800229100001300247700001200260700001400272245006200286856004100348300001000389490000700399520084500406022001401251       1991                            d  c1991 Jun10aArachidonic Acid10aArachidonic Acids10aEicosapentaenoic Acid10aFatty Acids, Essential10aHumans10aleprosy10aLinoleic Acid10aLinoleic Acids10aPhospholipids10aStearic Acids1 aWright S1 aMorse N1 aManku M S00aEssential fatty acids in plasma of patients with leprosy.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v59n2a08.pdf  a271-70 v593 a<p>We have investigated the fatty-acid composition of plasma phospholipids in 61 patients with leprosy of various clinical types with either a short or long duration of treatment. All patients had significantly decreased levels of linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid, the parent fatty acids of the n-6 and n-3 families, respectively. Patients with a treatment duration of more than 6 months had significantly low levels of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid compared to controls or to patients with a treatment duration of less than 6 months. There were no differences in the fatty-acid composition between multibacillary patients and paucibacillary patients. We conclude that dietary supplementation with essential fatty acids may be indicated in patients with leprosy, particularly in those with a long treatment duration.</p>
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