title: [Treatment of chronic Chagas' disease with an association of nifurtimox and corticoid].
abstract: Ten patients with chronic Chagas' disease were treated with nifurtimox (8-9 mg/kg/day) associated with betamethasone (9 mg/day initially and then gradually reduced) during 60 days, with one exception. It was intended to combine the respective anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory actions of these drugs. The expected stimulating effect of betamethasone on the infection could possibly enhance the anti-Trypanosoma cruzi action of nifurtimox. Long term persistence of negative xenodiagnosis, used to control the results, was observed in only one of the cases. Regaridng the other patients, post-treatment positivity of xenodiagnosis and serological testes attested the failure of this therapy. As this study has demonstrated, adequate and long term follow-up of treated cases is necessary to ensure correct conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Anis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rassi
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Amato Neto
authors.forename: Astolpho Ferraz
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferriolli Filho
authors.forename: Valdir Sabbaga
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Gustavo Gabriel
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Rassi
authors.forename: Anis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rassi Junior
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001623:Betamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009547:Nifurtimox / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020525:Xenodiagnosis
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D001623:Betamethasone; D009547:Nifurtimox