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 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.