A new breakthrough in treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in children.
Fifty cases of visceral leishmaniasis were admitted in Children's Hospital, Islamabad. Common clinical features were fever (100%), splenomegaly (100%), hepatomegaly (100%), anaemia (96%), abdominal distension (40%), bronchopneumonia (26%) and bleeding diathesis (22%). Hb was below 7.0 G/dl in 80%, white cell count below 4 x 10(9)/cmm in 88% and platelet count below 100 x 10(9)/c4mm in 86%. All the patients showed leishmania donovani bodies in the marrow smears. Fourteen patients were treated with aminosidine (15 mg/kg), intramuscularly daily for 4 weeks. All responded dramatically and none of them went into relapse in a year's follow-up. No side-effects were observed. Aminosidine can therefore, be recommended as a treatment of choice for visceral leishmaniasis in children.
D000740:Anemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000503:physiopathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D010303:Paromomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010976:Platelet Count; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010303:Paromomycin