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Published on: October 11, 2019
Artesunate versus quinine for treating severe malaria
David Sinclair1, Sarah Donegan, Rachel Isba
1International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.sinclad@liverpool.ac.uk.
Parenteral artesunate significantly reduces deaths from severe malaria in adults and children compared to quinine. While transient neurological issues were noted in children, overall outcomes favor artesunate treatment.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Severe malaria causes over a million deaths annually, primarily affecting young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
- This review evaluates artesunate as an alternative to standard quinine treatment for severe malaria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy and safety of artesunate versus quinine in treating severe malaria.
- To determine if artesunate offers improved survival and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Included trials compared parenteral artesunate with parenteral quinine in adults and children with severe malaria.
- Primary outcome was all-cause mortality; data analyzed using risk ratios and mean differences.
Main Results:
- Eight trials involving 1664 adults and 5765 children were analyzed.
- Artesunate significantly reduced mortality in both adults (RR 0.61) and children (RR 0.76).
- Increased incidence of transient neurological sequelae observed in children treated with artesunate, with no significant long-term differences.
Conclusions:
- Parenteral artesunate is superior to quinine for treating severe malaria in both adults and children globally.
- Artesunate offers a more effective treatment option, improving survival rates in severe malaria cases.
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