Evaluation of thermotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kabul, afghanistan: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

Anthroponotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a common cause of ulcerative lesions and disfiguring scarring among children in Afghanistan. Most lesions occur on the face, and are commonly caused by the trypanosome protozoan parasite Leishmania Tropica, transmitted by the bite of an infected sandfly [Phlebotomus Sergenti]. This study compares the effectiveness of a single localized treatment with thermotherapy to five days of intra-lesional administration of Glucantime for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Three hundred and eighty two patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were randomly assigned to the two treatment groups and followed for six months. The cure rate for the thermotherapy group was 82.5%, compared to 74% in the Glucantime group. The authors conclude that a single localized treatment with thermotherapy was more effective than five days of intra-lesional administration of Glucantime. Additionally, thermotherapy was more cost effective, with fewer side effects, of shorter duration, and with better patient compliance than intra-lesional Glucantime