Abstract
Seventy-one Burmese adult patients with lepromatous leprosy were treated with various regimens of rifampicin monotherapy, 450 mg. daily for 60 days or 900 mg. once weekly for 12 weeks or 450 mg. daily for six months. Of the patients, 18 had relapsed after stopping DDS therapy, 20 were intolerant of DDS, 18 were DDS resistant and 15 had received no previous treatment. Rifampicin produced a 75% reduction in the size of skin nodules in two thirds of the patients and a complete disappearance of nodules in the others. After one month drug treatment the MI fell to zero but the BI remained unchanged. The once weekly regimen was as effective as the daily treatment. Four patients had to be withdrawn due to ENL reactions.
References
2. LEVY, L.; SHEPARD, C. C.; FASAL, P. Death of M. leprae following treatment of leprosy patients with 1500 mg rifampin in a single dose. In: INTERNATIONAL LEPROSY CONGRESS, 10th, Bergen, 1973 apud Int. J. Lepr., 41(4):490, 1973.
3. PATIYN, S. R.; DOCKX, P.; ROLLIER, M. T.; ROLLIER, R.; SAERENS, E. J. Mycobacterium leprae persisters after treatment with dapsone and rifampicin. In: JOINT LEPROSY RESEARCH CONFERENCE, 10th, Bethesda, 1975 apud Int. J. Lepr., 44(1/2):154-158,.1976.
4. PATTYN, S. R.; ROLLIER, M. T.; ROLLIER, R.; SAERENS, E. J.; DOCKX, P. A controlled clinical trial of continuous and intermittent rifampicin therapy during an initial three months period in lepromatous leprosy: final analysis. Lepr. Rev., 46(2 suppl.):129-139, 1975.
5. REES, R. J. W.; PEARSON, J. M. H.; WATERS, M. F. R. Experimental and clinical studies of rifampicin in treatment of leprosy. Br. Med. J., 1:89-92, 1970.
6. REFS, R. J. W.; WATERS, M. F. R.; PEARSON, J. M. H.; HELMY, H. S.; LAING, A. B. G. Long-term treatment of dapsone-resistant leprosy with rifampicin: clinical and bacteriological studies. In: JOINT LEPROSY RESEARCH CONFERENCE, 10th, Bethesda, 1975 apud Int. J. Lepr., 44(1/2):159-169, 1976.
7. SHEPARD, C. C.; LEVY, L.; FASAL, P. Rapid bactericidal effect of rifampin on Mycobacterium leprae. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 2I:446-449, 1972.
This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.