@article{19194,
  keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Anti-Infective Agents, Child, China, Communicable Disease Control, Drug Therapy, Combination, Female, Humans, Leprostatic Agents, leprosy, Male, Middle Aged, Population Surveillance, Recurrence, World Health Organization},
  author = {Li H Y and Hu L F and Wu P W and Luo J S and Liu X M},
  title = {Fixed-duration multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy.},
  abstract = {<p>Six-hundred-fifty-seven active multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients were put on fixed-duration multidrug therapy (FD-MDT) between 1985 and 1992 (190 had had no and 235 had had previous treatment with dapsone) and were followed for 5 years after therapy. Two relapses occurred during year 5 of surveillance and both had received dapsone prior to chemotherapy, giving an overall relapse rate of 0.08/100 person-years (py). Excluding the two relapses, 99.4% of the MB patients converted to smear negativity at year 6 after a regular course of FD-MDT. The relapse rate for 35 MB patients with an initial bacterial index (BI) of &gt; 4 with 5 years of surveillance was 0.24/100 py. Reactions occurred more frequently during the first 6 months of MDT, decreasing gradually thereafter, and reaching 0 in year 4 of surveillance. The deformity rate at intake was 22.7% and only 1.8% of MB patients developed new deformities or an increased grade in deformity during therapy.</p>
},
  year = {1997},
  journal = {International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association},
  volume = {65},
  pages = {230-7},
  month = {1997 Jun},
  issn = {0148-916X},
  url = {http://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v65n2a11.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}