[Clinical and bacteriological assessment 8 years after triple-drug therapy for multibacillary leprosy in Senegal]

Increasing resistance to dapsone (DDS) leads to recommend triple drug chemotherapy (TCT) in multibacillary leprosy (ML). To determinate long term evolution, we evaluated patients who received TCT 8 years ago. Between 1974 and 1976, 30 patients with ML received TCT (rifampicin, prothionamid, and DDS) during 6 or 12 months. At this time satisfactory clinical and bacteriological findings were reported, and from then DDS was given alone. Twelve of the thirty patients have been evaluated in 1983. Six patients had bacteriological index greater than or equal to 2+, three of them had clinical relapse. Seven of the twelve patients did not take regularly DDS; the six relapses belong to this group.