01413nas a2200241   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001400054653002200068653001200090653002100102653001200123100001100135700001300146700001300159700001200172245008600184856005000270300001200320490000700332050001400339520081800353       2012                            d  c10.201210aTreatment10aMultidrug therapy10aleprosy10aFull text online10aDapsone1 aDeps P1 aGuerra P1 aNasser S1 aSimon M00aHemolytic anemia in patients receiving daily dapsone for the treatment of leprosy  uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/83/3/00-305  a305-3070 v83  aDEPS 20123 aIntroduction: Multidrug therapy for leprosy is currently done with dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin. Dapsone is known to cause hemolytic anemia (HA) and this adverse event duringMDTseems to be more frequent than reported. The aim of this report is to discuss and grade HA due to dapsone during MDT treatment for leprosy.
Methods: This is a retrospective study of 194 leprosy patients from a Leprosy Control Programme Unit in Vito´ria-ES, Brazil.
Results: HA was observed in 48 (24·7%) patients and occurred within the first 3 months in 51% of these. Mean hematocrit levels fell from 38·5 to 31·5 and
hemoglobin from 12·8 to 10·3.
Conclusion: Dapsone used in theMDT regime for leprosy decreases the hematocrit and hemoglobin levels due to a low grade hemolysis, which can result in significant anemia.