[Leprosy and pregnancy]

We followed 20 cases of pregnant women with leprosy: eight lepromatous (L), seven "borderline", four turbeculoid and only one indeterminate (I) and their newborns. Three patients showed the first symptoms during pregnancy and another one in postpartum. One patient was sick during sixteen years and another one was treated during fourteen years. The bacterioscopic examination was positive in thirteen and negative in seven patients. The Mitsuda test was negative in sixteen, positive in two and in two others was not performed. The treatment in fourteen patients was polychimiotherapy (diamino diphenylsulfone, rifampicin and clofazimine). Three patients received dapsone monotherapy. Three women started the treatment postpartum. Reactions states were treated with corticosteroids and acetylsalicylic acid. The therapy was Irregular in nine and Regular in eight cases. Ten patients showed reactions: eight during pregnancy, one in puerperium and one in the lactation period. Eight showed erythema nodosum leprosum and two reversal reaction. One patient showed false positive biologic test for syphilis and another one had positive bacterioscopic examination in the lactation period. One patient showed false positive biologic test for syphilis and another had positive bacterioscopic examination in the lactation period. One newborn showed exfoliative dermatitis in the first hours of life and his mother had used sulfone during pregnancy. Among the twenty babies five had less than 2,500g in weight and four were premature.

The reaction states of patients and low birth weight of premature babies occurred in lepromatous and "borderline" cases.