[Treatment of chronic human Chagas disease with itraconazole and allopurinol. Preliminary report]

Rev Med Chil. 1994 Apr;122(4):420-7.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy of itraconazole and allopurinol in chronic Chagas disease. Two hundred two subjects (137 infected, 59 with Chagas cardiopathy and 6 with non chagasic cardiopathy) were randomly assigned to be treated with itraconazole (87 subjects receiving 6 mg/kg/day for 120 days), allopurinol (68 subjects receiving 8.5 mg/kg/day for 60 days) or placebo (47 subjects during 60 days). Medications were well tolerated. Indirect hemagglutination test was modified in 5 subjects (3.2%) after treatment. Initially positive xenodiagnosis became negative in 34 of 36 subjects (94.4%) treated with itraconazole and 8 of 10 subjects (80%) treated with allopurinol. Initially normal EKG was not modified in 100% of patients receiving placebo, 84.9% receiving itraconazole and 86.7% receiving allopurinol. Initially abnormal EKG became normal in 10 of 31 subjects (32%) receiving itraconazole, 8 of 20 (40%) receiving allopurinol and none of 8 receiving placebo. It is concluded that xenodiagnosis and EKG improvements indicate that itraconazole and allopurinol have a role in the treatment of chronic Chagas disease. A 36 months follow up of these patients will help to confirm this conclusion.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • English Abstract
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Allopurinol / therapeutic use*
  • Chagas Disease / diagnosis
  • Chagas Disease / drug therapy*
  • Child
  • Chronic Disease
  • Drug Resistance
  • Electrocardiography / drug effects
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Itraconazole
  • Allopurinol