Table 1.
Characteristics of contacts of patients with newly diagnosed leprosy (n=18 869, 87% of those included) after four years’ follow-up, by treatment allocation. Values are numbers (percentages of total numbers) of contacts
| Variable | Placebo group (n=9452) | Rifampicin group (n=9417) |
|---|---|---|
| Age at intake (years): | ||
| 5-9 | 1497 (7.9) | 1555 (8.2) |
| 10-14 | 1500 (7.9) | 1488 (7.9) |
| 15-19 | 992 (5.3) | 935 (5.0) |
| 20-29 | 1667 (8.8) | 1587 (8.4) |
| ≥30 | 3795 (20.2) | 3852 (20.5) |
| Genetic distance to index patient: | ||
| Closely related* | 1475 (7.8) | 1423 (7.5) |
| Not closely related† | 7977 (42.3) | 7994 (42.4) |
| Male | 4343 (23.0) | 4354 (23.1) |
| Female | 5109 (27.1) | 5063 (26.8) |
| Type of disease in index patient: | ||
| Multibacillary | 2758 (14.6) | 2486 (13.2) |
| Paucibacillary with 2-5 lesions | 2954 (15.7) | 3254 (17.2) |
| Single lesion paucibacillary | 3740 (19.8) | 3677 (19.5) |
| BCG scar absent | 5552 (29.7) | 5576 (29.8) |
| BCG scar present | 3831 (20.5) | 3760 (20.1) |
| Physical distance: | ||
| Shares kitchen and house | 863 (4.6) | 880 (4.7) |
| Shares kitchen only | 687 (3.6) | 684 (3.6) |
| Shares house only plus is next door neighbour | 2645 (14.0) | 2425 (12.9) |
| Neighbour of neighbour plus social contact‡ | 5257 (27.9) | 5428 (28.8) |
| ELISA result§: | ||
| Negative¶ | 8106 (47.0) | 8137 (47.2) |
| Positive** | 515 (3.0) | 494 (2.8) |
ELISA=enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
*Parent, child, or sibling.
†Other than parent, child, or sibling.
‡Business contacts and colleagues staying in same room at least four hours a day, five days a week.
§Contact population after two years’ follow-up.
¶Optical density <0.2.
**Optical density ≥0.2.