Treatment interruption
Treatments may be interrupted due to adverse drug events or poor patient compliance. Evidences are lacking on the management of treatment interruption. Expert opinions suggest:
For treatment with Antimonials:
- Less than five days interruption do not need compensation
- Interruptions from 5-10 days, need full course with compensation of the missed days
- Interruptions for more than ten days should be managed with re-initiation as new with full course.
For treatment with liposomal form of amphotericin B, interruption is tolerable as it has long half-life.
References:
Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leishmaniasis in Ethiopia, 2nd Ed. June 2013
WHO, control of the leishmaniasis, WHO technical report series 949, March 2010
Diro E et al, Clinical aspects of pediatric visceral leishmaniasis in North-west Ethiopia, TMIH, 2014
Mengesha B et al. Prevalence of malnutrition and associated risk factors among adult visceral leishmaniasis patients in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. BMC research notes, 2014, 7:75.