Is Paromomycin an Effective and Safe Treatment against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis?
Author Information
Author(s): Kim Dae Hyun, Chung Hye Jin, Bleys Joachim, Ghohestani Reza F.
Primary Institution: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Hypothesis
Is Paromomycin an effective alternative to pentavalent antimony compounds for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis?
Conclusion
Topical Paromomycin with methylbenzethonium chloride could be a therapeutic alternative to pentavalent antimony compounds in selected cases of old world cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Supporting Evidence
- Paromomycin showed therapeutic activity against both old world and new world cutaneous leishmaniasis.
- Topical Paromomycin with methylbenzethonium chloride was more effective than placebo.
- Fewer systemic side effects were observed with Paromomycin compared to pentavalent antimony compounds.
Takeaway
Paromomycin is a medicine that can help treat a skin disease called cutaneous leishmaniasis, especially when mixed with another ingredient, but it might not work as well for all types of this disease.
Methodology
The study analyzed 14 randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of Paromomycin against placebo and pentavalent antimony compounds.
Potential Biases
Trials that did not meet quality criteria tended to exaggerate the efficacy of Paromomycin.
Limitations
The small number of included trials and variability in study quality limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Participants included a range of ages from 5 to 24 years, with male proportions varying from 42% to 100%.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.031
Confidence Interval
1.04–2.13
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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