Haemolysis and frank anaemia from dapsone therapy of leprosy has been long recognized. However, the frequency and severity of this side-effect have not been well documented. We report herein a retrospective analysis of the effect of daily dapsone (generally 100 mg/day) on the haemoglobin concentration of 100 leprosy patients undergoing initial chemotherapy. The average haemoglobin was found to fall significantly by almost 2 g/dl, from 14.25 +/- 1.27 g/dl to a nadir of 12.31 +/- 1.61 (P less than 0.001). Eighty-three percent of patients had a fall of haemoglobin concentration of 1 g/dl or more, while in 16% of patients the haemoglobin fell greater than or equal to 3 g/dl. Increasing age was found associated with an increased magnitude of dapsone-related haemolysis (P less than or equal to 0.004). Decreasing the daily dose of dapsone was associated with an increased haemoglobin concentration (P less than 0.001%). We have concluded that dapsone commonly results in not only haemolysis but a significant decrease in haemoglobin concentration. This may have serious clinical implications, especially in endemic areas, where, owing to nutrition, malaria, and intestinal parasitism, the haemoglobin concentration is already compromised.
BT - Leprosy review C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1870379?dopt=Abstract CN - Infolep Library - available DA - 1991 Jun DO - 10.5935/0305-7518.19910020 IS - 2 J2 - Lepr Rev LA - eng N2 -Haemolysis and frank anaemia from dapsone therapy of leprosy has been long recognized. However, the frequency and severity of this side-effect have not been well documented. We report herein a retrospective analysis of the effect of daily dapsone (generally 100 mg/day) on the haemoglobin concentration of 100 leprosy patients undergoing initial chemotherapy. The average haemoglobin was found to fall significantly by almost 2 g/dl, from 14.25 +/- 1.27 g/dl to a nadir of 12.31 +/- 1.61 (P less than 0.001). Eighty-three percent of patients had a fall of haemoglobin concentration of 1 g/dl or more, while in 16% of patients the haemoglobin fell greater than or equal to 3 g/dl. Increasing age was found associated with an increased magnitude of dapsone-related haemolysis (P less than or equal to 0.004). Decreasing the daily dose of dapsone was associated with an increased haemoglobin concentration (P less than 0.001%). We have concluded that dapsone commonly results in not only haemolysis but a significant decrease in haemoglobin concentration. This may have serious clinical implications, especially in endemic areas, where, owing to nutrition, malaria, and intestinal parasitism, the haemoglobin concentration is already compromised.
PY - 1991 SP - 171 EP - 8 T2 - Leprosy review TI - Effect of dapsone on haemoglobin concentration in patients with leprosy. UR - http://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1991/v62n2/pdf/v62n2a08.pdf VL - 62 SN - 0305-7518 ER -