Effect of three-year multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy patients.

The feasibility and effects of a 3-year treatment using rifampicin (RFP), clofazimine (B663) and dapsone (DDS) in multibacillary leprosy patients in Yangzhou Prefecture and Dongtai County (1983-1986) are reported. Among 591 active multibacillary leprosy patients in the two areas, 569 (96.30%) were treated with this regimen. Of 303 cases available for analysis, 196 (64.7%) cases showed negative skin smears and clinical inactivity. The rest showed different degrees of improvement. The average reduction of BI was 0.78. The intensity and frequency of ENL and neuritis decreased markedly with treatment. The main side-effects were pigmentation and ichthyosiform changes of the skin, but these did not influence treatment.