Increased risk of early vomiting among infants and young children treated with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine compared with artemether-lumefantrine for uncomplicated malaria

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Oct;83(4):873-5. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0158.

Abstract

Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) are highly efficacious antimalarial therapies in Africa. However, there are limited data regarding the tolerability of these drugs in young children. We used data from a randomized control trial in rural Uganda to compare the risk of early vomiting (within one hour of dosing) for children 6-24 months of age randomized to receive DP (n = 240) or AL (n = 228) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Overall, DP was associated with a higher risk of early vomiting than AL (15.1% versus 7.1%; P = 0.007). The increased risk of early vomiting with DP was only present among breastfeeding children (relative risk [RR] = 3.35, P = 0.001) compared with children who were not breastfeeding (RR = 1.03, P = 0.94). Age less than 18 months was a risk factor for early vomiting independent of treatment (RR = 3.27, P = 0.02). Our findings indicate that AL may be better tolerated than DP among young breastfeeding children treated for uncomplicated malaria.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antimalarials / adverse effects*
  • Artemether
  • Artemisinins / administration & dosage
  • Artemisinins / therapeutic use
  • Child, Preschool
  • Ethanolamines / administration & dosage
  • Ethanolamines / therapeutic use
  • Fluorenes / administration & dosage
  • Fluorenes / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Lumefantrine
  • Malaria / drug therapy*
  • Malaria / epidemiology
  • Quinolines / administration & dosage
  • Quinolines / therapeutic use
  • Risk
  • Uganda / epidemiology
  • Vomiting / chemically induced*
  • Vomiting / epidemiology

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Artemisinins
  • Ethanolamines
  • Fluorenes
  • Quinolines
  • artenimol
  • piperaquine
  • Artemether
  • Lumefantrine