Malaria, leprosy and dapsone
Kunal Saha1, Lata Kapoor, Vivek Mohan Arora
1Delhi University, India.
Summary
Dapsone, used for leprosy treatment, appears to prevent Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Leprosy patients on dapsone showed no P. falciparum infections, unlike controls, suggesting a protective effect against this malaria type.
Area of Science:
- Tropical Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Dermatology
Background:
- Dapsone is a key treatment for leprosy.
- Its preventive effect against Plasmodium falciparum malaria is suggested but not well-documented in endemic areas.
- Leprosy and malaria are co-endemic in Southeast Asia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence of malaria, specifically P. falciparum, in leprosy patients treated with dapsone.
- To compare malaria incidence between leprosy patients and non-leprosy controls in a malaria-endemic region.
Main Methods:
- Two clinic-based malaria surveys were conducted 12 years apart.
- Participants included 506 lepromatous leprosy patients on dapsone and 499 febrile non-leprosy controls.
- Malaria diagnosis was performed in both groups.
Main Results:
- Leprosy patients treated with dapsone exclusively had P. vivax malaria, with no P. falciparum cases.
- Malaria incidence in dapsone-treated leprosy patients was comparable to controls.
- Control subjects, not on dapsone, had both P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria.
Conclusions:
- Dapsone treatment in leprosy patients is associated with complete protection against P. falciparum malaria.
- This suggests a significant prophylactic role for dapsone against P. falciparum.
- Further research is warranted to confirm dapsone's antimalarial efficacy.
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