Early diagnosis of relapse in borderline leprosy: two case reports

Two cases of relapse in borderline leprosy were reported. Despite the late-reversal, reaction-like feature, the suspicion of relapse in both was based on persistent and slow-developing skin lesions and an absence of acute neuritis or reaction during one year of follow-up. The authors have considered...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maria Luiza Figueiredo Braga Brandão, Cíntia Maria Oliveira Lima, Juan Piñeiro-Maceira, Alice Miranda, M.Leide W. de Oliveira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2011-12-01
Series:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652011000600008&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Two cases of relapse in borderline leprosy were reported. Despite the late-reversal, reaction-like feature, the suspicion of relapse in both was based on persistent and slow-developing skin lesions and an absence of acute neuritis or reaction during one year of follow-up. The authors have considered this possible occurrence in lepromatous borderline-treated patients after their immune cellular restoration and defend that not all Type 1 reactions would be an inflammatory answer to persistent Mycobacterium leprae, but that they could be. Therefore, a relapse diagnosis could be applied and it is more advisable, as one year of Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) is less dangerous and more efficient for these cases than one year of corticosteroids.
ISSN:1678-9946