Three monthly doses of 60 mg/kg praziquantel for Schistosoma haematobium infection is a safe and effective treatment regimen

BACKGROUND: Praziquantel (PZQ) is the standard treatment for Schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is evidence suggesting praziquantel treatment failure in Schistosome infections with associated potential renal impairment. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of three monthly doses of 60 mg/kg/day PZQ on schistosome egg count, liver and renal function during the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis in Ghana. METHODS: A nested case-control study was designed from a cohort screened for schistosomiasis; 28 schistosomiasis positive cases by microscopy matched with 53 healthy controls by age and gender. The study population was urban dwellers from the Asokwa sub-metropolitan area, Kumasi in Ghana. Participants were within the age range of 6 to 30 years. We assessed Schistosoma haematobium egg counts in urine and its associated impact on liver and renal function at baseline, treatment and post-treatment phases using serum. RESULTS: Of the 28 cases and 53 controls, 78.6% and 81.1% were males respectively. Globulin levels before treatment was higher in cases [36.7 (32.8, 40.1) vrs 30.5 (22.4, 33.8), p = 0.005] at pre-treatment but not at post-treatment [35.8 (31.2, 39.1) vrs 37.4 (29.7, 43.0), p = 0.767]. Estimated cure rate was 42.9, 46.4 and 96.4% after first, second and third dose respectively. Schistosome egg counts dropped significantly (p = 0.001) from before second dose to post-treatment. Similarly, levels of alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.028) and gamma glutamyl transferase (p = 0.001) significantly declined towards post-treatment. Estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly improved from before second dose to post-treatment using both the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Program (p = 0.001) and 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (p = 0.002) equations. CONCLUSION: Treatment of urinary Schistosoma hematobium infections with a repeated high monthly dose of 60 mg/kg of praziquantel for 3 months is safe and effective.