Abstract

Introduction: Leprosy is caused by Mycobacteriom leprae which attacks the peripheral nerves, the skin, the upper respiratory tract mucosa, the other organs except central nervous system. Multibacillary leprosy is characterized by the finding of acid-fast bacili on skin slit smear examination, thickening of more than one nerve, and the presence of more than five lesions. Treatment of leprosy with MDT-WHO decreases the incidence of leprosy. However, long treatment period, resistance, adverse events, and relapse events encouraged the discovery of new treatment regimens. One of the recommended therapeutic regimens of WHO is single-dose ROM (Rifampicin 600 mg, Ofloxacin 400 mg, Monocyclin 100mg) for single PB leprosy. However, some studies have shown the effectiveness of ROM in both PB leprosy and MB.

Case Summary: We report three multibacillary leprosy cases in male patients, two with leprosy lepromatous (LL) type and one with borderline (BB) type. Diagnosis was based on history and physical examination, supported by slit skin smear and histopathology examination. The patients were given ROM regimen three times a week for three months and showed a good response. ROM therapy was chosen because it could reduce the side effects of skin pigmentation and a shorter of treatment period compared to MDT.

Conclusion: ROM therapy in MB leprosy patients with dose three times a week for three months proved to be safe and effective with no skin pigmentation. In addition, a significant clinical and bacteriologic improvement was observed without the increased risk of leprosy reaction.

Citation

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Keywords

Leprosy, Multibacillary, ROM