Introduction: Duration of leprosy treatment remains long and difficult to complete in resource poor areas. Studies suggest that shortening duration of therapy for MB patients to 6 months may be possible.
Methods: New MB patients in 2005 in two NGO projects in Bangladesh were treated with 6 months WHO MB MDT and the rate of relapse and fall in BI on slit skin smear during follow up to date were compared with a control group treated for 12 months the previous year.
Results: 1612 patients were enrolled in the trial, and the average duration of follow up was over 7 years after diagnosis. During 11,425 PYAR of follow-up, no relapses were detected, by bacteriological or clinical criteria, in the 918 patients in the 6 months MB MDT group, nor in the 694 patients in the control group. Rate of decline of BI in those who were smear positive was not significantly different between groups.
Conclusion: The data does not suggest that shortening duration of treatment from 2 months to 6 months MDT for MB leprosy patients leads to increased rates of relapse.