Clinical evaluation of praziquantel (Embay 8440; Biltricide®) in the treatment of Paragonimus westermani

초록

A total of 52 paragonimiasis patients was treated with praziquantel at three dose levels: 21 patients received 3x25.0 mg/kg bwt on a single day, 21 patients were treated with 3x25.0 mg/kg for 2 consecutive days and 10 patients were treated with the same dose for 3 consecutive days. Followup examinations were carried out at monthly intervals up to 4 months (120 days) after treatment. 15 (71.4%) out of 21 patients who received the drug 3x25.0 mg/kg bwt on a single day were parasitologically cured. 18 (85.7% out of 21 patients who received 3x25.0 mg/kg bwt for 2 consecutive days were also cured. Six and 3 of the uncured cases in each group above were treated again with doses of 3x25.0 mg/kg bwt for 2 or 3 consecutive days. Two (consisting of one in each group) of nine retreated cases failed in parasitological cure. Therefore the overall cure rate of 95.2% (20 out of 21 cases) in each group was finally obtained. On the other hand, in 10 patients who received 3x25 mg/kg bwt for 3 consecutive days a complete cure was obtained at 4 month follow-up examinations. Praziquantel is well tolerated and side effects consist particularly of mild and transient headache and dizziness. There was no great difference between the three dosage groups. Extended hematological and biochemical tests, and urinalysis, revealed no abnormal findings which could be related to the compound after therapy. The disappearance of precipitating bands of immunoelectrophoresis together with the disappearance of abnormal shawdows in chest X-ray after treatment gave a potent proof on assuring the cure of paragonimiasis.

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