Intralesional pentostam versus intralesional metronidazole in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis: A comparison study

Ban Anton Bahnan; Sherzad Abdulahad Shabu; Sarmad Abdulrahman Sleman

doi:10.15218/zjms.2019.033

Authors

Ban Anton Bahnan Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.
Sherzad Abdulahad Shabu Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.
Sarmad Abdulrahman Sleman Center for Dermatological Diseases, Directorate of Health, Erbil, Iraq.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15218/zjms.2019.033

Keywords:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Treatment, Metronidazole, Pentostam, Erbil

Abstract

Background and objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis can be classified into two different syndromes; New World and Old World. The later is acquired in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, or Europe. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of intralesional pentostam with intralesional metronidazole in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Methods: An analytical observational study was carried out in the Dermatology Consultancy Department of Erbil Teaching Hospital in Erbil city from April to October 2017. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 50 study participants who were diagnosed with having cutaneous leishmaniasis. A questionnaire was designed for data collection, and the size with the degree of in duration of the cutaneous lesions was measured. Patients received three injections of either intralesional pentostam or intralesional metronidazole on a two-weekly basis.

Results: The mean ± SD age of the participants was 32.38 ± 15.05 years. Most of the participants were male (72%). The mean diameter difference ± SD after receiving three intralesional injections on a two-weekly basis was 0.7692 ± 0.62017 cm for pentostam, compared to 0.4211 ± 0.62413 cm for metronidazole (P = 0.070).The mean difference in lesion's induration ± SD was 0.9091 ± 0.83121 for pentostam, compared to 0.6875 ± 0.70415 for metronidazole (P = 0.128).

Conclusion: Intralesional injection with metronidazole has shown some degree of cure in terms of decrease in the size and induration of the lesions. Although statistically insignificant, intralesional injection of metronidazole was less effective than intralesional injection of pentostam. Further studies are needed with a larger sample size to better understand the effectiveness of metronidazole in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

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