Single lesion leprosy pacients multicentric cohort treated with single dose drug therapy: findings on three year follow up and public health perspective in Brazil

Single skin lesion, paucibacillary (SSL PB) leprosy is considered an early disease manifestation. This study evaluated the clinical outcome of a cohort of 259 newly diagnosed SSL PB treated with one dose of rifampicin, ofloxacin, minocycline (ROM) and followed up three years. Patients were recruited from the North, Central West and Southeast regions in Brazil (1997-2001). The result expected with ROM therapy was disappearance or the reduction of lesion size. Manifestations that required additional intervention were considered as poor clinical outcome: type 1 reaction (T1R) with or without neuritis, neuritis alone, increase in lesion size and shift from paucibacillary to multibacillary. The incidence of poor clinical outcome was calculated by person month and with the Kaplan Meier methods. 61,8 percent of the participants were females, mean age 32.2 and 67,2 percent had borderline tuberculoid (BT) or tuberculoid forms. TIR was the predominant event; shift from paucibacillary to multibacillary was rare. 92 percent of the volunteers shown no events during the first year, the same occurring to 80,6 percent of them after 3 years of clinical monitoring. The probability of remaining event free was highest among those 40 years old or younger. Poor outcome predominated among BT patients. Extended monitoring of SSL PB leprosy cases under minimal therapy provided valuable case management information for reference centers. (AU)