Trial of High Dosages of Dapsone in the Treatment of Tuberculoid Leprosy

Abstract

Two groups, each of 100 patients suffering from tuberculoid leprosy, were treated with different dosages of dapsone, the control group being given a conservative dosage of the drug and the study group a high dosage (1200 mg weekly). The patients in the high-dosage group showed more rapid regression of the disease, a lower incidence of relapse and early regression of the tingling, enlargement and tenderness of the nerve involved. Dapsone in a dosage of 1200 mg weekly was well tolerated by these patients with active tuberculoid leprosy.

The Time Interval Between the Start of Anti-Leprosy Treatment and the Development of Reactions in Borderline Patients

“…Recently however some authors have shown that DDS on its own can reverse nerve damage when no reaction occurs (Naafs et al, 1976). Prasad (1971 ) showed in a controlled study that tuberculoid patients on 200 mg DDS 6 days a week from the start of treatment did better than a group of patients receiving more conventional doses of DDS (starting with 25 mg twice weekly, increasing to 300 mg twice weekly after 4 months). Barnetson et aI.…”