Maternal and perinatal outcomes of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) treated with sodium stibogluconate in eastern Sudan.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate maternal and perinatal outcomes when pregnant women with visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also known as kala-azar) are treated with the antimonial sodium stibogluconate.


METHODS
Forty-two pregnant women with VL were treated with sodium stibogluconate at Gadarif Hospital, Gadarif, Sudan, and mother and child were followed up for 1 year.


RESULTS
The treatment began at a mean+/-SD of 24.4+/-9.2 weeks of pregnancy. None of the patients had malaria or HIV. Two (4.7%) who received the treatment in the first trimester had miscarriages; 4 (4.9%) died from hepatic encephalopathy during the second week of treatment; and 2 (4.7%) had preterm deliveries. One of the newborns had a myelomeningocele and died at 2 hours, and the other died from VL at 2 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Preventive measures against VL should be employed in the region, and more research on VL and its treatment during pregnancy is needed.
Adam
Gamal K
GK
Gadarif University, Gadarif, Sudan. ishagadam@hotmail.com
Abdulla
Mohamed A
MA
Ahmed
Ahmed A
AA
Adam
Ishag
I
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000967:Antimony Sodium Gluconate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D000967:Antimony Sodium Gluconate