antimony-sodium-gluconate and Joint-Diseases

40 patients with American cutaneous leishmaniasis caused primarily by Leishmania braziliensis panamensis were treated with sodium stibogluconate in a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Nine weeks after starting treatment, all 19 patients treated with 20 mg Sb/kg per day for twenty days were cured but 5 of 21 patients treated with 10 mg Sb/kg per day for twenty days had persistent active disease (p less than 0.05). Both treatment regimens were well tolerated and they were associated with a similar incidence of reversible toxic effects. Existing recommendations for therapy of American cutaneous leishmaniasis with sodium stibogluconate are inadequate for some patients, and higher doses are both safe and efficacious.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Antimony Sodium Gluconate; Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Follow-Up Studies; Gluconates; Humans; Joint Diseases; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania donovani; Leishmaniasis; Male; Military Personnel; Random Allocation; Safety

We report the occurrence of two side effects, pancreatitis and palindromic arthropathy with effusions, associated with injections of sodium stibogluconate used in the treatment of kala-azar. No clear mechanism to account for the problems was identified despite extensive investigation. We suggest that when abdominal pain is experienced during treatment with antimonial drugs pancreatitis should be borne in mind as a possible cause.

Topics: Adult; Animals; Antimony Sodium Gluconate; Cyclosporins; Gluconates; Humans; Immune Tolerance; Joint Diseases; Leishmania donovani; Leishmaniasis, Visceral; Male; Malta; Pancreatitis