Abstract

RISCO, Mayra et al. Therapeutic usefulness of albendazole in the treatment of infected children with Giardia lamblia. Saber [online]. 2013, vol.25, n.1, pp.73-82. ISSN 1315-0162.

A study was conducted with 22 parasitized school children with Giardia lamblia to verify the therapeutic usefulness of albendazole (400 mg single dose for 5 days). After treating the children post-treatment controls were made at 7, 15 and 21 days by clinical examination and parasitological methods (direct examination, Kato and spontaneous sedimentation). The overall rate of parasitological cure was 44.4% (8/18) consisting of 8 children in whom the parasite was eradicated after treatment. This analysis excluded 4 of the treated children because they had missed one or more post-treatment controls. Of these 18 children, 72.2% (13 children) had clinical manifestations suggestive of infection with G. lamblia before receiving the drug; after completion of treatment only two school children (11.1%) had clinical manifestations. However, the difference was not statistically significant (X2 = 0.5098 d.f. = 1). Two (11.1%) of the children who received albendazole had adverse effects (bitter taste and abdominal pain). In conclusion, the study group and due to its low parasitological cure rate, albendazole does not seem to be a drug of choice and use should be reserved in proven cases of resistance to metronidazole or when there is intolerance to this drug.

Keywords : Treatment; metronidazole.

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