A randomized controlled trial of local heat therapy versus intravenous sodium stibogluconate for the treatment of cutaneous Leishmania major infection.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous Leishmania major has affected many travelers including military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Optimal treatment for this localized infection has not been defined, but interestingly the parasite is thermosensitive. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Participants with parasitologically confirmed L. major infection were randomized to receive intravenous sodium stibogluconate (SSG) 20mg/kg/day for ten doses or localized ThermoMed (TM) device heat treatment (applied at 50 degrees C for 30 seconds) in one session. Those with facial lesions, infection with other species of Leishmania, or more than 20 lesions were excluded. Primary outcome was complete re-epithelialization or visual healing at two months without relapse over 12 months. Fifty-four/56 enrolled participants received intervention, 27 SSG and 27 TM. In an intent to treat analysis the per subject efficacy at two months with 12 months follow-up was 54% SSG and 48% TM (p = 0.78), and the per lesion efficacy was 59% SSG and 73% TM (p = 0.053). Reversible abdominal pain/pancreatitis, arthralgias, myalgias, headache, fatigue, mild cytopenias, and elevated transaminases were more commonly present in the SSG treated participants, whereas blistering, oozing, and erythema were more common in the TM arm. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Skin lesions due to L. major treated with heat delivered by the ThermoMed device healed at a similar rate and with less associated systemic toxicity than lesions treated with intravenous SSG. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 00884377.

A case report and a proposed algorithm for the transfer of patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis to a burn center.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare cutaneous diseases marked by substantial epidermal denudation and are often complicated by sepsis and multiple organ failure. They are most commonly caused by drug therapy. Patients afflicted with these diseases require care that may exhaust the capabilities of medicine wards and medical intensive care units alike; however, their mortality is reduced when treated at burn centers, which are better equipped to treat extensive skin denudation. We report a case of TEN and propose an algorithm to provide guidance for making the critical decision to transfer patients with SJS and TEN to burn units.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis: presentation and problems of patient management

Relatamos nossa experiência em 60 pacientes com leishmaniose tegumentar americana diagnosticada e tratada entre 1977 e 1982. Cinqüenta e cinco pacientes foram infectados no Panamá, 4 no Brasil, e 1 na Colômbia. Entre 35 pacientes com uma exposiçäo de 3 semanas no Panamá, a média do período de incubaçäo foi 33 dias (limite sobre 4 e 81 dias). O diagnóstico foi feito, em média, 93 dias depois do início das lesöes de pele, devido a demora do paciente em procurar o serviço médico (31 dias), a demora do médico em considerar o diagnóstico (45 dias), e a demora do laboratório em confirmar o diagnóstico (17 dias). Quarenta e quatro pacientes (73%) desenvolveram úlceras típicas de leishmaniose cutânea. Porém, 16 pacientes (27%) tiveram lesöes de pele atípicas maculares, papulares, escamosas, verrucosas ou acneiformes que foram diagnosticadas somente através de culturas de leishmania. De 59 pacientes tratados com o antimonial pentavalente, só 34 (58%) obtiveram cura depois da primeira série de tratamento. Em pacientes com lesöes maiores do que 2 cm de diâmetro, ou causada por Leishmania braziliensis, ocorrem menos índice de cura depois da primeira série de tratamento do que naqueles com lesöes menores do que 2 cm, fechadas, ou causadas por L. mexicana ou L. donovani