The Incubation time of Relapses after Treatment of Multibacillary Leprosy with Rifampicin Containing Regimens

In order to determine the duration of follow-up needed to evaluate the efficacy of short-course bactericidal regimens for multibacillary leprosy, information is needed on the incubation time of relapses after stopping treatment. Several groups of patients, who had been on rifampicin-containing regim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of epidemiology 1988-06, Vol.4 (2), p.231-234
Main Authors: Pattyn, S. R., Groenen, G., Bourland, J., De Muynck, A., Grillone, S., Grossetete, G., Husser, J. A., Janssens, L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Dosage
Drug Therapy, Combination
Epidemiology
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Leprosy
Leprosy - drug therapy
Lesions
Medical cures
Medical treatment
Multibacillary leprosy
Mycobacterium leprae
Recurrence
Reinfection
Relapse
Rifampin - administration & dosage
Rifampin - therapeutic use
Statistical median
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Summary:In order to determine the duration of follow-up needed to evaluate the efficacy of short-course bactericidal regimens for multibacillary leprosy, information is needed on the incubation time of relapses after stopping treatment. Several groups of patients, who had been on rifampicin-containing regimens, were followed up for periods ranging from 4 to 10 years. Two groups of relapses were observed: early relapses occurring within 3.5 years after stopping treatment, with a median incubation time of 1 year and 10 months (upper limit of 95% confidence interval: 2 years); and late relapses occurring more than 3.5 years after stopping treatment, with a median incubation of 5 years. Early relapses are probably due to insufficient treatment, and late relapses to persisting bacilli or to reinfection. It is concluded that the efficacy of short-course RMP-containing therapeutic regimens can be evaluated by observing the occurrence of early relapses, 50% of which occur before 2 years after the end of therapy.
ISSN:0393-2990
1573-7284
DOI:10.1007/BF00144758