[Acceptability, compliance and tolerance of daily polychemotherapy by leprosy patients in Guadeloupe]

From January 1980 to December 1984, 418 leprosy patients were treated in Guadeloupe with a daily multiple drug regimen using rifampin as an essential drug. The analysis of the data collected during this period of times gives the possibility of estimating the patient's approval, tolerance and attendance to this treatment. The approval is satisfactory in new cases of leprosy and in ancient cases relapsed under dapsone monotherapy but less in inactive ancient patients already treated with dapsone monotherapy. Attendance of the 418 patients to the multiple drug regimen is satisfactory too and similar to the attendance of patients treated with dapsone monotherapy in Guadeloupe and to the attendance of patients with monthly multiple drug regimen in another Caribbean country. Reactions did not occur with higher gravity or frequency than in patients under dapsone monotherapy. The high incidence of hepatitis (14%) due to the toxicity of protionamide in the combination rifampin-protionamide-dapsone make obligatory the monthly assessment of the liver functions in multibacillary patients treated with such a drug combination.