Does the presence of dead bacilli in the skin and other tissues cause the patient any problems?
In most patients the presence of dead bacilli in the skin and other tissues does not cause any problem, and the dead organisms are gradually cleared by the phagocytic system of the body. However, in a very small proportion of patients, the antigens from dead bacilli can provoke immunological reactions, such as (late) reversal reaction, causing serious nerve damage and subsequent disabilities. Therefore, possibility of such events occurring should be informed to patients at the time of stopping treatment. Such reactions can be successfully treated with a standard course of prednisolone.
