Studies on risk of leprosy relapses in China: relapses
after treatment with ...
Title:
Studies on risk of leprosy relapses in China: relapses
after treatment with dapsone monotherapy
Author:
Chen X, Li W, Jiang C, Zhu Z, Ye G
Address:
National Center for STD and Leprosy Control, Institute
of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 12
Jiangwangmiao Road, Nanjing 210042, P. R. China
Source:
International Journal of Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial
Diseases, 1999;67:371-8
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the profiles
of leprosy relapses in patients treated with dapsone monotherapy
in China. METHOD: Based upon the data
from the Chinese National System for Leprosy Surveillance,
this paper reports on the relapses in 297,343 leprosy
patients cured by dapsone monotherapy. RESULTS:
A total of 11,055 (MB 8675, PB 2380) patients relapsed
during an accumulated follow-up period of 4,229,050 patient-years
(PY), giving an overall relapse rate of 3.72 per 100 cases
or 2.61 per 1000 PY, i.e., 8.14% or 5.91 per 1000 PY over
an average follow-up period of 13.8 +/- 8.4 years in MB
patients and 1.25% or 0.86 per 1000 PY over an average
period of 14.5 +/- 8.9 years in PB patients. For either
the overall relapse rate per 100 cases or per 1000 PY,
the differences between MB and PB patients were statistically
significant, except during 36-40 years of follow up. For
both MB and PB patients, the relapse rates showed consistently
significant decreases year by year, particularly in PB
patients whose relapse rate per 1000 PY was 1.21 in year
10 of follow up; whereas it remained more than 10 per
1000 PY in MB patients. In view of that, the overall relapse
rates in MB and PB patients cured by dapsone monotherapy
were acceptably low, and most of these patients have been
followed up for more than a mean incubation period of
observed dapsone relapse. Along with the further extension
of follow up, the risk of relapse in dapsone-cured patients
will not be expected to increase. CONCLUSION:
The results of the study should be considered
when planning policy for the management of patients released
from dapsone monotherapy.
Key words: Leprosy; Dapsone monotherapy;
Relapse; China
Language: English
