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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 1996 | Volume
: 62
| Issue : 6 | Page : 411-412 |
Fixed duration MDT in leprosy
Mohan Gharpuray, Vinay Kulkarni
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Correspondence Address:
Mohan Gharpuray
PMID: 20948152
How to cite this article:
Gharpuray M, Kulkarni V. Fixed duration MDT in leprosy. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 1996;62:411-2 |
| To the Editor, | |  |
This letter is in reference to the article by Paramjit Kaur and Gurmohan Singh on 'Fixed duration MDT in leprosy and clinical cure' (IJDVL 1996;62:33-5).
We think practically all will agree that it is advisable to achieve clinical cure. We however do not agree that the patients covered by the national programme should have different treatment than patients under care of dermatologists. This is especially so because of the ever increasing incidence of relapses after FDT.[1]
We are giving herewith the opinion of practising dermatologists from all over Maharashtra (except Mumbai) who were asked questions related to FDT. Out of the 142 dermatologists contacted 92 responded.
- 1. For monolesional paucibacillary cases 88.1% do not stop treatment at the end of 6 months as suggested by WHO.
- 2. For paucibacillary cases with multiple lesions 81.5% do not stop treatment at the end of 12 months as suggested by WHO.
- 3. For multibacillary cases 93.5% do not stop treatment at the end of 24 months.
Thus overwhelming number of dermatologists give importance to the clinical activity and do not follow the FDT schedules as suggested by WHO.
We would like to add from our experience that with relative affluence in our state, not so costly MDT and availability of qualified dermatologists in all district places and most of the taluka places, dermatologists are treating more leprosy patients in their clinics than the patients being treated at the government hospitals.
One of us has tried to give a critique of the WHO schedules and suggested that the urgency of reducing the duration of therapy is unnecessary and may prove counterproductive in the long run.[2]
| References | | |
| 1. | Jamet P, Ji B, Marchoux Chemotherapy Study Group. Relapse after long term follow up of multibacillary patients treated by WHO multi drug regimen. Int J Lepr 1995;63:195-201.  |
| 2. | Kulkarni V. Will extensive use of WHO recommended MDT regimens control leprosy? some reflections. ILA Forum 1995;2:8-13. |
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