Why multidrug therapy for multibacillary leprosy can be shortened to 12 months

摘要

To overcome the serious threat posed by the widespread emergence of dapsone resistance, and to increase to therapeutic effect in chemotherapy of leprosy, a World Health Organiza- tion (WHO) Study Group in 1981 recommended multidrug therapy (MDT) for the treatment of leprosy. It was recommended that, for the purpose of treating different categories of patients with various bacterial loads, leprosy be classified as paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB), and that two drugs, monthly rifampicin (RMP) and daily dapsone (DDS), be prescribed for the treatment for PB leprosy, and three drugs-daily DDS and clofazimine (CLO) together with monthly RMP plus a supplemental higher dose of CLO- for MB leprosy.