VITAMIN-E AS PROTECTIVE AGENT AGAINST HEM OLYSIS IN LEPROSY PATIENTS UNDER DAPSONE TREATMENT

Dapsone (4,4'diaminodiphenyl-sulphone) commonly used in the treatment of patients who suffer from leprosy, is a strongly oxidative drug, pro ducing damage to the red cell membrane. This study investigated whethe r Vitamin E would have a protective effect on the red cell membrane fr om oxidant damage caused by Dapsone in patients with leprosy. We have studied 16 patients for 4 months, divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 7) dapsone (DDS): 100 mg/day; Group 2 (n = 9) dapsone: 100 mg/day in addition with Vitamin E: 800 U/day. We did not include patients with low levers of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) because of th eir sensibility to this drug. At the beginning of the treatment we det ermined the level of G-6-PD. All patients showed a normocytic normochr omic anemia with a decrease in Haptoglobine levels (below 5mg/dl). Sta tistical analyses showed that reticulocyte counts did not present sign ificant differences between groups all through evolution. As for methe moglobin (Hi) we observed in Group 1 an increase between the first and the fourth month, which was not seen in group 2. Statistical analyses of the results suggest that oral Vitamin E confers partial protective effect and does not correct the hemolisis parameters produced by Daps one treatment except for Hi levels which were more sensitive to the ox idant damage.