Essential fatty acids in plasma of patients with leprosy.

We have investigated the fatty-acid composition of plasma phospholipids in 61 patients with leprosy of various clinical types with either a short or long duration of treatment. All patients had significantly decreased levels of linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid, the parent fatty acids of the n-6 and n-3 families, respectively. Patients with a treatment duration of more than 6 months had significantly low levels of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid compared to controls or to patients with a treatment duration of less than 6 months. There were no differences in the fatty-acid composition between multibacillary patients and paucibacillary patients. We conclude that dietary supplementation with essential fatty acids may be indicated in patients with leprosy, particularly in those with a long treatment duration.