Treatment of uncomplicated malaria in children in Guinea-Bissau with chloroquine, quinine, and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.
With the increasing resistance to commonly used antimalarial drugs, different untested 'local' treatment regimens for malaria will arise. We compared commonly used treatment regimens for children in Guinea-Bissau. Symptomatic children with Plasmodium falciparum mono-infection were allocated at random to one of 4 treatments: 15 mg/kg quinine twice a day for 3 d (group 1); 10 mg/kg quinine twice a day for 3 d followed by a total dose of 25 mg chloroquine base given over 3 d (group 2); a total dose of 50 mg/kg chloroquine base given in 2 daily doses for 3 d (group 3), or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (group 4). On day 28 more children from group 1 (33%; relative risk [RR] = 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-5.7) and group 2 (26%; RR = 2.1, CI 1.0-4.3) had had parasitaemia than in group 4 (12%), whereas no significant difference was found between group 3 (17%; RR = 1.3, CI 0.6-2.2) and group 4. No severe adverse reaction was observed in any of the groups. Chloroquine is still effective in Guinea-Bissau at an increased dose of 50 mg/kg, which appears safe when given orally in 2 daily doses for 3 d. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine could serve as an efficient, cheap and easy to administer second-line drug, leaving quinine to be used for third-line treatment. Quinine should not be used in short courses, nor does the combination of quinine and chloroquine have any advantage.
Kofoed
Poul-Erik
PE
Department of Paediatrics, Kolding Hospital, Denmark. pko@ks.vejleamt.dk
Có
Fernando
F
Johansson
Peter
P
Dias
Francisco
F
Cabral
Claudina
C
Hedegaard
Kathryn
K
Aaby
Peter
P
Rombo
Lars
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000962:Antimalarials; D004338:Drug Combinations; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine