Efficacy of praziquantel syrup versus crushed praziquantel tablets in the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in Ugandan preschool children, with observation on compliance and safety.

Navaratnam, A M D, Sousa-Figueiredo, J.C., Stothard, J R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9370-3420, Kabatereine, N B, Fenwick, A and Mutumba-Nakalembe, M J (2012) 'Efficacy of praziquantel syrup versus crushed praziquantel tablets in the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in Ugandan preschool children, with observation on compliance and safety.'. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Vol 106, Issue 7, pp. 400-407.

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Abstract

Preschool children (aged ≤5 years) have so far been overlooked by mass treatment campaigns targeting schistosomiasis, even though praziquantel (PZQ) has been shown to be well tolerated and effective within this age group. The WHO provided the Ugandan Ministry of Health with a syrup formulation of PZQ with the aim of assessing its safety and efficacy in comparison with crushed PZQ tablets for the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in preschool children. This study included 1144 preschool children randomly assigned to two treatment arms (PZQ syrup or crushed PZQ tablet) regardless of infection status for direct comparison. Diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis was assessed using single stool sample, double Kato-Katz smear examinations. Parasitological cure was assessed 3 weeks after treatment. The observed cure rate was 80.9% for the PZQ syrup arm and 81.7% for the crushed PZQ tablet arm, with egg reduction rates of 86.1% and 89.0%, respectively. Pre-treatment infection intensity was observed to influence cure rates significantly, with cure rates of 88.6% for light infections, 74.5% for moderate infections and 67.4% for heavy infections. No significant difference was found in non-compliance between the PZQ syrup (11.1%) and crushed PZQ tablet (14.7%) arms. PZQ syrup and crushed PZQ tablets have very similar efficacies in the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in preschool children.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	W General Medicine. Health Professions > Health Services. Patients and Patient Advocacy > W 85 Patients. Attitude and compliance QX Parasitology > Helminths. Annelida > QX 355 Schistosoma WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries WB Practice of Medicine > Therapeutics > WB 340 Drug Administration WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 810 Schistosomiasis WS Pediatrics > By Age Groups > WS 440 Preschool child
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trstmh.2012.03.013
Depositing User:	Mary Creegan
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2013 09:14
Last Modified:	02 Dec 2019 12:52
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/3296

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