An 8-12 year follow-up of highly bacillated Indian leprosy patients treated with WHO multi-drug therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To follow up highly bacillated leprosy patients for a long period after release from treatment (RFT) and to look out for possibility of relapses.

RESULTS: 660 patients with an initial bacterial positivity of 4 +, 5 + or 6 + who had undergone WHO multi-drug therapy and released from treatment, were followed up. The regularity of their treatment was kept high by close monitoring with home visits. They were reviewed twice, once 4 to 9 years after RFT and again 7 to 12 years after RFT. 516 patients were available in the second review. As per WHO definition, 5 patients were found to have relapsed, giving a relapse rate of 0.103 per 100 person years. This low relapse rate could be due to high regularity of treatment.

CONCLUSION: With well supervised MDT and high regularity of treatment and proper consumption of drugs, relapse rate is very low.