Eflornithine is safer than melarsoprol for the treatment of second-stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense human African trypanosomiasis.
Patients with second-stage human African trypanosomiasis treated with eflornithine (n = 251) in 2003 in Kiri, southern Sudan, had an adjusted relative risk of death of 0.2 and experienced significantly fewer cutaneous and neurological adverse effects than did patients who were treated with melarsoprol in 2001 and 2002 (n = 708).
Chappuis
François
F
Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. francois.chappuis@hcuge.ch
Udayraj
Nitya
N
Stietenroth
Kai
K
Meussen
Ann
A
Bovier
Patrick A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D000518:Eflornithine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008549:Melarsoprol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality
D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D008549:Melarsoprol; D000518:Eflornithine