The Application of Urine Tests to Monitor the Regularity of Dapsone Self-administration

Simple methods are described fo r determining the regularity of dapsone (DDS) self-administration by out-patients. These methods are based on a comparison of the ratios of the concentrations of DDS to those of creatinine in urine samples collected from out-patients and those from controls given the same daily dose of DDS under strict supervisiono These methods were applied to urine samples collected from patients attending some of the mobile c1inics in Malawi. They showed that the patients had taken only about half of their prescribed DDS doses in the days immediately preceding their attendance at the c1inic. The therapeutic importance of these findings is discussed, and the value of extending these studies to obtain estimates of the regularity of DDS self-administration through the whole treatment period by applying such methods to urine samples obtained by surprise visits to the homes of the out-patients is emphasized.