Immune Status in Patients of Leprosy before and after Treatment

Immunological disturbances are frequently observed in leprosy patients, particularly in the lepromatous (LL) form compared to the tuberculoid (TT) form. This study investigated immunological changes in active lepromatous leprosy patients, revealing significant lymphopenia and a proportional reduction in OKT3 positive (pan T), OKT4-positive (helper/inducer), and OKT8-positive (suppressor/cytotoxic) cells. However, no alterations in percentages or helper-to-suppressor ratios were noted. The research was conducted at the Microbiology, Clinical Pathology and Medicine Departments of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital, along with the Leprosy Hospital in Seikhghat, Sylhet, from January to December 2012. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 30 leprosy patients. Immunological parameters, including total blood count, serum total protein, serum albumin, serum globulin (and their ratios), CD4+, and CD8+ T-cell counts, were measured before and three months after multidrug therapy (MDT). Following MDT, lymphocyte counts showed a significant increase (p < 0.001), whereas other parameters such as total white blood cell count (p = 0.226), polymorph neutrophils (p = 0.110), monocytes (p = 0.213), eosinophils (p = 0.104), basophils (p = 0.388), red blood cells (p = 0.893), and hemoglobin levels (p = 0.982) remained unchanged. Serum total protein (p = 0.358), serum albumin (p = 0.299), serum globulin (p = 0.179), and the albumin/globulin ratio (p = 0.148) also showed no significant changes. Significant increases were observed in CD4+ (p < 0.001) and CD8+ (p = 0.001) T-cell counts after MDT in lepromatous leprosy patients. However, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio remained unchanged.