Open AccessCorneal complications following Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis treatment
Author(s) -
Shomik Maruf,
Proggananda Nath,
Muhammad Rafiqul Islam,
Fatima Aktar,
Azim Anuwarul,
Dinesh Mondal,
Ariful Basher
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos neglected tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.99
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1935-2735
pISSN - 1935-2727
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006781
Subject(s) - miltefosine , visceral leishmaniasis , medicine , leishmaniasis , dermatology , leishmania donovani , surgery , immunology
Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a sequel of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). The patients act as a reservoir for the causative parasite (i.e. Leishmania donovani ) and thus should be diagnosed and treated with the utmost urgency to prevent the transmission of the disease. In this study, we tried to report the first instances of corneal complications supposedly associated with Miltefosine (MF), in PKDL patients and the probable pathophysiology of such events. The recently rejuvenated National Kala-azar Elimination Program in Bangladesh has put great emphasis on monitoring all the leishmaniasis patients to investigate possible adverse drug reactions (ADR). A total of 194 patients have received Miltefosine for the treatment of Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis. So far five patients were found to have developed unilateral ophthalmic complications during the periods from May 2016 to October 2017, after being treated with MF for PKDL. Unfortunately, one of whom had to go through complete evisceration of the affected eyeball. Despite the fact that MF is the only oral formulation of choice to treat PKDL, occurrences of such unexpected ADRs after MF administration urges the exploration of the pathogenesis of such incidents and determine measures to avert such occurrences from happening in future.