title: Epilepsy triggered by mefloquine in an adult traveler to Uganda.
abstract: We report a case of a traveler who visited Uganda for 8 d, and took mefloquine one tablet/week for malaria prophylaxis. After the second dose, he suffered from two episodes of loss of consciousness with seizures, therefore mefloquine was discontinued. During the flight back after full recovery, seizures reoccurred while he was on board, he was disembarked in Addis Ababa and then transferred to Nairobi. After repatriation to Italy, he experienced four other similar episodes. The patient was still on full dose anticonvulsant therapy one year and a half after, as any attempt at reduced dose was unsuccessful. Currently, three agents (mefloquine, atovaquone/proguanil, and doxycycline) are recommended for malaria chemoprophylaxis, with similar efficacy but different adverse event profiles, regimens, and prices. Considering that mefloquine is associated with a higher risk of neurologic and psychiatric adverse events than the alternative regimens, we suggest considering mefloquine as a second line choice after atovaquone/proguanil and doxycycline for short-term travelers.
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Federico
authors: F
authors: Gobbi
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Rossanese
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Dora
authors: D
authors: Buonfrate
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Angheben
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Postiglione
authors: Federico Gobbi, Andrea Rossanese, Dora Buonfrate, Andrea Angheben, Zeno Bisoffi, Department of Tropical Diseases, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Verona, Italy.
authors: Zeno
authors: Z
authors: Bisoffi
keywords: Antimalarial chemoprophylaxis; Epilepsy; Mefloquine; Neuropsychiatric disorders; Side effects