BORDERLINE TUBERCULOID LEPROSY: CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF MULTIDRUG THERAPY.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology

Background:

• Leprosy, specifically borderline tuberculoid (BT) type, remains a significant public health concern.
• Multi-drug therapy (MDT) is the recommended treatment by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Evaluating the efficacy of standard MDT duration in fresh BT leprosy cases is crucial for treatment optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a 6-month WHO-recommended multidrug therapy (MDT) regimen.
• To assess treatment outcomes in 125 new cases of borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy.
• To determine if the standard MDT duration is sufficient for complete disease resolution.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 125 fresh borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy patients received MDT.
• MDT consisted of rifampicin (600 mg monthly) and dapsone (100 mg daily) for 6 months.
• Clinical and histological assessments were performed at the end of the 6-month treatment period.

Main Results:

• 33.6% of patients showed marked improvement, and 9.6% became clinically inactive after 6 months.
• 45.6% experienced regression of lesions, while 11.2% showed increased disease activity.
• No patient achieved complete histological clearance of infiltration; compact granulomas persisted in 24% of cases.

Conclusions:

• Six months of MDT is insufficient for the complete treatment of all borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy cases.
• Persistent histological activity and the presence of Mycobacterium leprae in some cases indicate the need for extended treatment durations.
• Further research into optimized MDT regimens and durations for BT leprosy is warranted.