Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: KEGG:D02448 (Fansidar)
 243 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have analyzed the clinical data of 189 patients with malaria to establish antimalarial regimens in Japan. The causative parasite species were Plasmodium falciparum in 56 cases (30%), P. vivax in 132 (70%) and P. malariae in 1 (1%). The outcomes f malaria cases are as follows: Cure rats in falciparum and vivax malaria are 86% and 91%, respectively. Two patients died of falciparum malaria and recurrence occurred in 6 cases (11%) of falciparum malaria. Relapse was seen in 12 (9%) of vivax malaria. Chloroquine was most frequently used among antimalarial agents (in 123 cases, 65% of the total) for suppressing acute attacks. The efficacy of chloroquine was evaluated by classifying each case into three groups: chloroquine alone in group one, chloroquine in combination with other antimalarials in group two and other antimalarials except chloroquine in group three. The cure rate among each group is about 80% and there is no difference among them. However, it is noticeable that recurrence occurred when patients were treated with a combination of chloroquine and quinine. We have found a similar result as this in another old report in Japan. Primaquine is effective for eliminating hepatic tissue schizonts but in this study, relapse occurred in 12 cases of vivax, although primaquine had been used in 10 out of 12 cases. In primaquine group, relapse occurred at a similar rate between chloroquine and Fansidar cases. Further studies are needed to decide whether a larger dose of primaquine is appropriate for treatment of vivax malaria. Recovery periods from fever and parasitemia were compared between chloroquine and Fansidar cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Clinical evaluation of antimalarial drugs]. 220 71

Malaria chemoprophylaxis concerns prescribing healthy individuals medication for an infection they have an unknown chance of getting. Sensible use of malaria chemoprophylaxis is a balance between the risk of infection and death, and the risk of side effects. The risk of infection can be broken down into the risk of being bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito and the risk of the malaria parasites being resistant to the drug used for prophylaxis. Our knowledge of these parameters is patchy. The risk of infection is not uniform at a given location and the standard of living will greatly influence risk. It is suggested that chemoprophylaxis should not be recommended in areas with less than ten reported cases of P. falciparum malaria per 1000 inhabitants per year. The resistance pattern is known to a certain extent but, for instance, diverging opinion of how much resistance to chloroquine there is in West Africa illustrates the lack of data. There is much debate on rare adverse events, which usually escape Phase III studies prior to registration and are only picked up by passive, postmarketing surveillance. The lessons over the past 20 years with the introduction of amodiaquine, pyrimethamine/dapsone (Maloprim, GlaxoSmithKline) and pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine (Fansidar, Roche), which were all withdrawn for prophylaxis after a few years, show how sensitive drugs for chemoprophylaxis are to side effects. Three levels of chemoprophylaxis are used: chloroquine in areas with sensitive P. falciparum, chloroquine plus proguanil in areas with low level chloroquine resistance, and atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone, GlaxoSmithKline), doxycycline or mefloquine (Lariam, Roche) in areas with extensive resistance against chloroquine and proguanil. Primaquine and the primaquone analog tafenoquine may be future alternatives but otherwise there are few new drugs for chemoprophylaxis on the horizon.
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PMID:Malaria chemoprophylaxis: when should we use it and what are the options? 1548 77

Malaria is the tropical disease most commonly imported into the UK, with 1500-2000 cases reported each year, and 10-20 deaths. Approximately three-quarters of reported malaria cases in the UK are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, which is capable of invading a high proportion of red blood cells and rapidly leading to severe or life-threatening multi-organ disease. Most non-falciparum malaria cases are caused by Plasmodium vivax; a few cases are caused by the other two species of Plasmodium: Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium malariae. Mixed infections with more than 1 species of parasite can occur; they commonly involve P. falciparum with the attendant risks of severe malaria. Management of malaria depends on awareness of the diagnosis and on performing the correct diagnostic tests: the diagnosis cannot be excluded until 3 blood specimens have been examined by an experienced microscopist. There are no typical clinical features of malaria, even fever is not invariably present. The optimum diagnostic procedure is examination of thick and thin blood films by an expert to detect and speciate the malarial parasites; P. falciparum malaria can be diagnosed almost as accurately using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) which detect plasmodial antigens or enzymes, although RDTs for other Plasmodium species are not as reliable. The treatment of choice for non-falciparum malaria is a 3-day course of oral chloroquine, to which only a limited proportion of P. vivax strains have gained resistance. Dormant parasites (hypnozoites) persist in the liver after treatment of P. vivax or P. ovale infection: the only currently effective drug for eradication of hypnozoites is primaquine. This must be avoided or given with caution under expert supervision in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), in whom it may cause severe haemolysis. Uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria can be treated orally with quinine, atovaquone plus proguanil (Malarone) or co-artemether (Riamet); quinine is highly effective but poorly tolerated in prolonged dosage and is always supplemented by additional treatment, usually with oral doxycycline. ALL patients treated for P. falciparum malaria should be admitted to hospital for at least 24 h, since patients can deteriorate suddenly, especially early in the course of treatment. Severe falciparum malaria, or infections complicated by a relatively high parasite count (more than 2% of red blood cells parasitized), should be treated with intravenous therapy until the patient is well enough to continue with oral treatment. In the UK, the treatment of choice for severe or complicated malaria is currently an infusion of intravenous quinine. This may exacerbate hypoglycaemia that can occur in malaria; patients treated with intravenous quinine therefore require careful monitoring. Intravenous artesunate reduces high parasite loads more rapidly than quinine and is more effective in treating severe malaria in selected situations. It can also be used in patients with contra-indications to quinine. Intravenous artesunate is unlicensed in the EU. Assistance in obtaining artesunate may be sought from specialist tropical medicine centres, on consultation, for named patients. Patients with severe or complicated malaria should be managed in a high dependency or intensive care environment. They may require haemodynamic support and management of acute respiratory distress syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation, renal impairment/failure, seizures, and severe intercurrent infections including gram-negative bacteraemia/septicaemia. Falciparum malaria in pregnancy is more likely to be severe and complicated: the placenta contains high levels of parasites. Stillbirth or early delivery may occur and diagnosis can be difficult if parasites are concentrated in the placenta and scanty in the blood. The treatment of choice for falciparum malaria in pregnancy is quinine; doxycycline is contraindicated in pregnancy but clindamycin can be substituted for it, and is equally effective. Primaquine (for eradication of P. vivax or P. ovale hypnozoites) is contraindicated in pregnancy; after treatment for these infections a pregnant woman should take weekly chloroquine prophylaxis until after delivery when hypnozoite eradication can be considered. Children are over-represented in the incidence of malaria in the UK, probably because completely susceptible UK-born children accompany their overseas-born parents on visits to family and friends in endemic areas. Malaria in children (and sometimes in adults) may present with misleading symptoms such as gastrointestinal features, sore throat or lower respiratory complaints; the diagnosis must always be sought in a feverish or very sick child who has visited malaria-endemic areas. Children can be treated with most of the antimalarial regimens which are effective in adults, with appropriate dosage adjustment. Doxycycline plus quinine should not be given to children under 12 years as doxycycline is contraindicated in this age group, but clindamycin can be substituted for doxycycline, and pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine (Fansidar) may also be an effective substitute. An acute attack of malaria does not confer protection from future attacks: individuals who have had malaria should take effective anti-mosquito precautions and chemoprophylaxis during future visits to endemic areas.
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PMID:UK malaria treatment guidelines. 1721 45