Open AccessCOMPARISON OF ORAL CHLOROQUINE WITH SYSTEMIC MEGLUMINE ANTIMONIATE IN TREATMENT OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS
Author(s) -
Muhammad Farooq,
Muhammad Farooq,
Arfan ul Bari,
Tariq Malik
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pakistan armed forces medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2411-8842
pISSN - 0030-9648
DOI - 10.51253/pafmj.v71i1.3187
Subject(s) - meglumine antimoniate , medicine , chloroquine , meglumine , cutaneous leishmaniasis , gastroenterology , urine , group b , physical examination , leishmaniasis , dermatology , surgery , malaria , pathology , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology
Objective: To compare the efficacy of oral chloroquine with systemic meglumine antimoniate in treatment ofcutaneous leishmaniasis.
Study Design: Open-label comparative prospective study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted in the department of Dermatology, Combined MilitaryHospital Multan, from Jan to Oct 2018.
Methodology: Fifty adult male patients completed the study. The inclusion criteria for the study were patientshaving untreated skin lesions less than 3 months old. Diagnosis was made on the basis of history and clinicalfeatures and was confirmed on histopathological examination. Patients were divided into 2 groups of 25 each,group A patients received meglumine antimoniate 810mg intramuscularly once a day whereas group B patientswere given oral chloroquine 250mg twice a day. Pre-treatment complete physical examination was done alongwith blood complete picture, urine routine examination, liver function tests, renal function tests and electrocadiogram. They were repeated after 2 weeks and at the end of treatment. The efficacy was measured by healing of lesions with a measuring tape.
Results: Fifty patients completed the study. At the end of treatment, among group A patients, 4 (16%) showedno improvement, 21 (84%) improved; whereas in group B patients, 11 (44%) showed no improvement, 14 (56%)showed improvement. Percentage reduction in surface area of skin lesions was 77.6% in group A, whereas ingroup B, it was 42.7%.
Conclusion: Meglumine antimoniate showed better efficacy than chloroquine but oral chloroquine was alsoeffective and can be used as an alternative therapy.