title: [Trial of halofantrine in the treatment of malaria attacks by Plasmodium falciparum in Dakar (Senegal)].
abstract: Halofantrine has been given to 14 children and 15 adults suffering from an acute attack of P. falciparum malaria and living in Dakar (Senegal) to a total dose of 24 mg/kg/body weight for the first group and 1,500 mg for the second in 3 times at 6-hourly intervals. This treatment has allowed the fever to clear in all cases within 36.3 +/- 19.9 hours and headache to disappear at D3 in 93.1% of cases. A reduction by 93.6% of the average parasite density which amounted before treatment to 27,710 trophozoites/mm3 of blood has been recorded from the day following the beginning of treatment and the parasite clearance obtained in all the patients of whom had chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum strains in mean time of 58.0 +/- 14.7 hours. In 3 cases (10.7%) a recrudescence of parasitemia has been noticed in D14. Only 1 of them was treated again with halofantrine which proved efficient from D2. The only adverse reactions have been nausea, vomiting, a slight diarrhoea and dizziness which affected only 13.8% of the patients. No abnormality has been noticed at a biological level. These results confirm the efficacy and good tolerance of halofantrine and allow to list it among the resource drugs used for the treatment of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum malaria in our area.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Smith Kline/French.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gaye
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Bah
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Trape
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Konate
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Legros
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dieng
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Faye
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012675:Senegal
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010616:Phenanthrenes; C023768:halofantrine
vernacular_title: Essai de l'halofantrine dans le traitement de l'accès palustre a Plasmodium falciparum a Dakar (Sénégal).