title: Double-blind randomised clinical trial of pentoxiphyllin in vaso-occlusive sickle cell crisis.
abstract: Frequent painful sickle cell crisis leads to a high number of active days lost due to morbidity or mortality. Only one of the specific drugs has been shown to be efficacious in a controlled clinical trial in the USA. The efficacy and the appropriateness of a drug acting on the erythrocytic membrane, pentoxiphyllin, was investigated in a randomised, double blinded clinical trial in the treatment of acute incapacitating crisis. In the 36 patients studied in a rural hospital in Togo (West Africa) where sickle cell disease is frequent (0.51% of all births), the mean (standard deviation = SD) duration of inpatient treatment was significantly shorter in the actively treated group active drug: 77.6 (40.19) hours, placebo: 102.4 (25.31) hours, difference between means: 24.8 (95% confidence intervals (= 95% CI) 2.02-47.5) hours); p = 0.03. This marked effect of active treatment was evident during the first 48 hours only. The suitability of this therapeutic regime within the studied area is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Hopital Bethesda, Agou Nyogbo, Togo West Africa.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teuscher
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Von Der Ahe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baillod
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holzer
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013805:Theobromine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D014037:Togo; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D013805:Theobromine; D010431:Pentoxifylline