Is the course of neurocysticercosis modified by treatment with antihelminthic agents?
- PMID: 7575052
Is the course of neurocysticercosis modified by treatment with antihelminthic agents?
Abstract
Background: Neurocysticercosis, occasionally associated with long-term neurologic sequelae such as epilepsy or hydrocephalus, is more often a condition characterized by a benign course and spontaneous remission without permanent neurologic symptoms. This variability in outcome has led to difficulties in the interpretation of studies of the effectiveness of drugs used to treat this condition.
Objective: To evaluate the relative efficacy of two antihelminthic agents against each other and against symptomatic treatment alone.
Methods: Randomized clinical trial of treatment of patients with newly identified active neurocysticercosis with oral prednisolone alone (27 patients), praziquantel with prednisolone (54 patients), or albendazole with prednisolone (57 patients).
Results: At 6 months and at 1 year after treatment, there were no differences in the three treatment groups in terms of the proportion of patients who were free of cysts or the relative reduction of number of cysts. At 2 years, there was no difference in the proportion of patients free of seizures during the entire follow-up period. Early and late sequelae occurred in a higher proportion of patients treated with praziquantel and albendazole, compared with those receiving only prednisolone.
Conclusions: Previous reports of favorable response to treatment of neurocysticercosis with either praziquantel or albendazole are by no means definitive and may be a reflection of the natural history of the condition. The present study, with randomized treatment assignment and including a control group, raises questions as to what extent and in whom treatment with these drugs is effective, and suggests that treatment with antihelminthic agents may be associated with an increased frequency of long-term sequelae.
Comment in
-
Is the course of neurocysticercosis modified by treatment with anthelmintic agents?Arch Intern Med. 1997 Jan 13;157(1):128-30. doi: 10.1001/archinte.157.1.128. Arch Intern Med. 1997. PMID: 8996050 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Routine drug and food interactions during antihelminthic treatment of neurocysticercosis: a reason for the variable efficacy of albendazole and praziquantel?J Clin Pharmacol. 2014 Apr;54(4):361-7. doi: 10.1002/jcph.269. Epub 2014 Jan 25. J Clin Pharmacol. 2014. PMID: 24443292 Review.
-
Drug treatment of neurocysticercosis.Natl Med J India. 1997 Jul-Aug;10(4):173-7. Natl Med J India. 1997. PMID: 9325640 Review.
-
Albendazole and praziquantel treatment in neurocysticercosis of the fourth ventricle.J Neurosurg. 1997 Jul;87(1):29-33. doi: 10.3171/jns.1997.87.1.0029. J Neurosurg. 1997. PMID: 9202261 Clinical Trial.
-
Albendazole therapy for neurocysticercosis.Arch Intern Med. 1987 Apr;147(4):738-41. Arch Intern Med. 1987. PMID: 3827462
-
[Selective sensitivity of cysts to praziquantel and albendazole in a case of cerebral cysticercosis].Rev Neurol (Paris). 1992;148(1):58-61. Rev Neurol (Paris). 1992. PMID: 1604116 French.
Cited by
-
Disseminated Human Subarachnoid Coenurosis.Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 29;7(12):405. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed7120405. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022. PMID: 36548661 Free PMC article.
-
Fourth ventricle neurocysticercosis presenting with Bruns' syndrome: A case report.Surg Neurol Int. 2021 Dec 20;12:616. doi: 10.25259/SNI_1091_2021. eCollection 2021. Surg Neurol Int. 2021. PMID: 34992932 Free PMC article.
-
Neurocysticercosis. A frequent cause of seizures, epilepsy, and other neurological morbidity in most of the world.J Neurol Sci. 2021 Aug 15;427:117527. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.117527. Epub 2021 Jun 17. J Neurol Sci. 2021. PMID: 34147957 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Anthelmintics for people with neurocysticercosis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Jun 1;6(6):CD000215. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000215.pub5. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021. PMID: 34060667 Free PMC article.
-
Antimicrobial guide to posterior segment infections.Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021 Sep;259(9):2473-2501. doi: 10.1007/s00417-020-04974-4. Epub 2020 Nov 6. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021. PMID: 33156370 Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical