What is Multidrug Therapy (MDT)?
Using two or more anti-leprosy drugs in a combination of Rifampicin, Clofazimine, and Dapsone that prevents drug resistance is called Multidrug therapy (MDT). It remains highly effective for leprosy disease treatment and people are no longer infectious after the first monthly dose. It is proven that multidrug therapy (MDT) is safe and easy to use under field conditions due to its presentation in a calendar blister pack.
Benefits Or Effectiveness of Multidrug Therapy (MDT) in Leprosy Treatment:
- Leprosy is curable with Multidrug Therapy (MDT).
- It is well tolerated and accepted by patients, even women.
- MDT drug reactions are minimal, safe, and increase patient compliance.
- It stops the progress of the leprosy disease by killing bacilli (Mycobacterium leprae).
- It prevents further complications and reduces the chances of relapse.
- MDT reduces the chances of transmission of infection to other persons.
- It is available in a blister pack.
- MDT is easy to dispense, store, and take.
- It is available and free of cost at all government health facilities.
- Treatment duration is fixed and short.
- Using multidrug therapy (MDT) reduces the duration of leprosy disease treatment.
- Using two or three drugs assure effectiveness and cure of leprosy disease and reduces the chances of drug resistance.
Complications of Leprosy Disease:
Leprosy is a curable disease if it treats effectively. Complications depend on how quickly the disease is diagnosed and effectively treated. If leprosy is treated early and properly some complications develop that not much affect the patient daily life. But the following list of complications arises when diagnosis and treatment are either delayed or started late in the disease process.
- Blindness or glaucoma,
- Erectile dysfunction and infertility in men,
- Disfiguration of the face (including permanent swelling, bumps, and lumps),
- Kidney failure,
- Frequent nosebleeds and constant stuffiness,
- Lagophthalmos ( inability to close the eyelid),
- Cataract (secondary eye problems),
- Keratitis,
- Permanent nerve damage outside of the brain and spinal cord( usually in extremities),
- Muscle weakness ( claw-like hands, finger, foot drop, facial palsy),
- Loss of eyebrows,
- Ulceration and mutilation,
- Iridocyclitis.
Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “[email protected]”
