Successful combined therapy with Glucantime™ and pentoxifylline for the nasal mucosal lesion recently developed in a leishmaniasis patient having untreated cutaneous lesion for seven decades

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide problem and has been neglected in a wide range of fields, from diagnosis to treatment. This report describes a case of mucosal leishmaniasis, which may developped after seven decades of an inadequately treated cutaneous lesion. A female patient, 79 years old, from the non-endemic area for leishmaniasis in northern Paraná, presenting mucosal lesion in the nose and throat, reported an "angry ulcer" treated inappropriately as a child when she lived in an endemic region of the state of São Paulo. Indirect immunofluorescence and direct parasite screening were positive. Polymerase chain reaction detected a parasite belonging to the subgenus Leishmania (Viannia) sp. Due to patients limitations, such as low weight and advanced age, the therapeutic model adopted was the combined small doses of Glucantime™ to pentoxifylline, which ensured treatment success.

Keywords: Case report; Meglumine antimoniate; Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis; Pentoxifylline; Treatment.