Efficacy and Safety of Pentostam in Peruvian Mucosal Leishmaniasis.

Abstract

In the first part of this study we showed that the World Health Organization recommended regimen for the treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis, which is 20 mg antimony (Sb)/kilogram body weight/day for a minimum period of 28 days, although safe, is ineffective in the treatment of disease involving both the nasal and oral mucosa. Although 75% of patients with nasal lesions only were cured, the cure rate in patients with both nasal and oral lesions was only 10%. In an effort to improve upon this low cure rate, in the second part of the study we compared the efficacy and toxicity of two regimens of Sb, 28 and 40 days of 20 mg Sb/kg/day, in the treatment of culture-positive mucosal leishmaniasis involving more than one anatomic site. Forty consecutive eligible Peruvians with infiltrative or ulcerative mucosal disease of the lips, nose, palate-uvula-pharynx, or larynx-epiglottis were randomized to receive either 28 days (P28) or 40 days (P40) of sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam). Treatment was prematurely terminated due to thrombocytopenia in 3 patients and 2 patients did not complete 6 months of follow up. The cure rate after 12 months of follow up was 63% for both groups (10/16 in the P28 group and 12/19 in the P40 group). Since the cure rates did not differ between the two treatment regimens, there is no therapeutic advantage to increasing the length of treatment with Pentostam to 40-days in patients with disease involving more than one anatomic site.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA269848

Entities

People

  • Eileen Franke

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antimony
  • Body Weight
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Thrombocytopenia
  • Toxicity

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Oncology
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology