Chloroquine-induced pruritus in Nigerian medical and nursing students

Two hundred and fifty-one Nigerian medical and nursing students from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital completed a questionnaire on chloroquine-induced pruritus. One hundred and thirty (51.8) students experienced itching, and in 71 the symptoms were so distressing that chloroquine was no longer used for treating febrile malarial episodes. Antihistamines taken before chloroquine or a change in the route of administration were helpful in preventing or a ameliorating symptoms in some of the students. Significantly more students with chloroquine-induced pruritus had parents or siblings similarly affected compared with students who did not get pruritus, and this supports the concept of a pharmacogenetic basis to the disorder.