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[Lipid profile during specific malaria therapy in Gabonese children]
E Ngou-Milama1, T H Duong, F Minko
1Faculté de Médecine, Service parasitologie-médecine tropicale, Tours, France.
Insights
Malaria treatment with Halfan in Gabonese children caused specific dyslipidemia, including altered high-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels. This metabolic variation occurred alongside typical malaria-associated hypoglycemia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Clinical biochemistry
- Pharmacology
Context:
- Malaria remains a significant health concern in Gabonese children.
- Halfan (artesunate-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine) is a common antimalarial treatment.
- Malaria is often associated with hypoglycemia in young children.
Purpose:
- To investigate the lipid profile changes in Gabonese children treated with Halfan for malaria.
- To assess the metabolic variations and tolerance to Halfan in this pediatric population.
Summary:
- Children aged 18 months to 4 years in Gabon receiving Halfan for malaria exhibited specific dyslipidemia.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels decreased initially then increased during treatment.
- Triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) increased at the start of treatment, with TC rising throughout and TG declining.
- These metabolic changes were statistically significant compared to normal values.
- Hypoglycemia was also observed, consistent with malaria.
Impact:
- Highlights potential metabolic side effects of Halfan treatment in pediatric malaria patients.
- Informs clinical monitoring and management strategies for children undergoing antimalarial therapy.
- Contributes to understanding drug-induced metabolic alterations in a vulnerable population.
Abstract:
We report specific dyslipidemia in Gabonese children aged 18 months to 4 years old treated with Halfan for malaria. This is observed in addition to the hypoglycemia typically associated with malaria. C-HDL (high density lipoprotein) fell on day 0 (D0), then increased during the treatment. Triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) rose on D0. CT continued to rise evenly throughout the treatment, whereas TG declined. The differences with respect to normal values are significantly different as assessed by the Student test. We report metabolic variation and tolerance to Halfan.