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Global review of multidrug therapy (MDT) in leprosy

S K Noordeen1, L Lopez Bravo, D Daumerie

  • 1Leprosy Unit, World Health Organization, Geneva.

World Health Statistics Quarterly. Rapport Trimestriel De Statistiques Sanitaires Mondiales
|January 1, 1991
PubMed

Insights

Multidrug therapy (MDT) has significantly reduced leprosy cases by over 30% globally since 1985. High treatment compliance and widespread MDT coverage offer bright prospects for further leprosy prevalence reduction.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Tropical Medicine

Background:

  • Leprosy remains a significant global public health issue, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
  • Historically, leprosy case numbers increased until 1985, posing a substantial disease burden.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of multidrug therapy (MDT) on global leprosy prevalence.
  • To assess the current status and future prospects of leprosy control programs.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of registered leprosy case data from 1966 to 1990.
  • Review of multidrug therapy (MDT) coverage and patient treatment completion rates.
  • Assessment of treatment compliance and tolerability of MDT.

Main Results:

  • A reduction of over 30% in registered leprosy cases since 1985, attributed to MDT.
  • Global MDT coverage reached 55.7% by October 1990, with over 2 million patients undergoing treatment and 1 million completing it.
  • MDT demonstrated good tolerability and high acceptability, leading to improved patient compliance.

Conclusions:

  • MDT has been highly effective in reducing leprosy prevalence, with strong prospects for further decreases.
  • Challenges remain in early case detection and managing long-term disabilities in leprosy patients.
  • Addressing regional variations in MDT coverage is crucial for global leprosy control efforts.

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