01914nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653003600067653001600103100001900119700001600138700001600154245010600170856007900276300001100355490000700366050001800373520129100391022001401682       2014                            d  c2014 Apr10aleprosy10aErythema nodosum leprosum (ENL)10aThalidomide1 aPutinatti MSMA1 aLastória J1 aPadovani CR00aPrevention of repeated episodes of type 2 reaction of leprosy with the use of thalidomide 100 mg/day.  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4008057/pdf/abd-89-02-0266.pdf  a266-720 v89  aPUTINATTI20143 aBACKGROUND: Leprosy can have its course interrupted by type 1 and 2 reactional episodes, the last named of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). Thalidomide has been the medication of choice for the control of ENL episodes since 1965.

OBJECTIVES: These episodes can repeat and cause damages to the patient. In order to prevent these episodes, an extra dose of 100 mg/day thalidomide was used during six months, followed by a follow-up period of six more months after thalidomide discontinuation.

METHODS: We included 42 patients with multibacillary (MB) leprosy who had episodes of ENL. They were male and female patients aged between 18 and 84 years.

RESULTS: Of the 42 patients, 39 (92.85%) had the lepromatous form and three (7.15%) had the borderline form. We found that 100% of patients had no reactional episode during the use of the drug. During the follow-up period after thalidomide discontinuation, 33 (78.57%) patients had no reactional episode and nine (21.43%), all of them with the lepromatous form, had mild episodes, which were controlled using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. There were no thalidomide-related side effects.

CONCLUSION: A maintenance dose of 100 mg/day of thalidomide showed to be effective to prevent repeated type 2 reactional episodes of ENL.  a1806-4841