title: Comparison of 3, 5 and 7 days' treatment with Quinimax for falciparum malaria in Guinea-Bissau.
abstract: For treatment of malaria, the World Health Organization recommends 10 mg of quinine per kg body-weight 3 times a day for at least 7 d. In Guinea-Bissau, as in several other African countries, a 3 d treatment regimen (10 mg/kg twice daily) is currently used. We therefore compared the 3 d treatment period with periods of 5 and 7 d. A total of 145 children with clinical malaria due to monoinfection with Plasmodium falciparum, with > or = 20 parasites per 200 leucocytes, were treated with intramuscular Quinimax 10 mg per kg body-weight twice daily for 3, 5 or 7 d. The children were then examined once weekly for 4 weeks. Following the 3 d treatment regimen, 34 of 43 children (79%) had parasitaemia on day 28 or before; following the 5 d treatment regimen, 36 of 40 children (90%) did so; and following the 7 d treatment regimen, 7 of 62 children (11%) were parasitaemic at that time. This study thus suggests that the currently recommended 3 d Quinimax treatment regimen in Guinea-Bissau for moderate and severe malaria is not effective.
authors.affiliation: Projecto de Saúde de Bandim, Guinea-Bissau.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Kofoed
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mapaba
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pussick
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aaby
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rombo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002930:Cinchona Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006169:Guinea-Bissau; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011802:Quinidine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011803:Quinine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D002930:Cinchona Alkaloids; D004338:Drug Combinations; D011803:Quinine; D011802:Quinidine; C010086:cinchonine