[Assessment of the response to reduced treatment schemes for vivax malaria]

Relapses may occur with long standard treatment of vivax malaria, and these are caused by incomplete patient's compliance. The use of reduced schedules may further better patient compliance, while maintaining the same efficacy, tolerance and minimal adverse reactions. The objective of this study was to test two schedules with reduced doses of chloroquine for vivax malaria and comparing these with the classical schedule. The authors studied 120 outpatients, with vivax malaria, aged over 12 years, submitted to three therapeutic schemes: scheme I: chloroquine phosphate (150 mg) in a dose of 25mg/kg/day for three days (10mg/kg/ day in the first day, 7.5mg/kg/day in the second and third day), plus primaquine (15 mg) in a dose of 0.25mg/kg/day for fourteen days; scheme II: chloroquine, in a single dose of 10mg/kg, plus primaquine in a dose of 0.5mg/kg/day for seven days; scheme III: chloroquine, 10mg/kg in a single dose plus primaquine in a dose 0.5mg/kg/ day for five days. The clinical response to all three therapeutic schemes was satisfactory. The disappearance of malarial symptoms occurred after a maximum 96 hours of treatment, while the asexual parasitaemia clearance occurred within 72 hours, in all therapeutic schemes.