Publication: A case-control auditory evaluation of patients treated with artemether-lumefantrine
Issued Date
2006-02-01
Resource Type
ISSN
00029637
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-33645798628
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.74, No.2 (2006), 211-214
Suggested Citation
Robert Hutagalung, Hsar Htoo, Paw Nwee, Jaruwan Arunkamomkiri, Julien Zwang, Verena I. Carrara, Elizabeth Ashley, Pratap Singhasivanon, Nicholas J. White, François Nosten A case-control auditory evaluation of patients treated with artemether-lumefantrine. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.74, No.2 (2006), 211-214. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/23367
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Authors
Journal Issue
Thesis
Title
A case-control auditory evaluation of patients treated with artemether-lumefantrine
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Artemether-lumefantrine is the first registered, fixed, artemisinin-based combination treatment. Artemisinin derivatives are highly effective antimalarials with a favorable safety profile. Concerns remain over their potential neurotoxicity, although there has been no clinical evidence of this in humans. In animals (rats, dogs, and monkeys) artemether, a derivative of artemisinin is associated with an unusual toxicity pattern in specific brain nuclei involving the auditory and vestibular pathways. A recent report from Mozambique described a small but significant and irreversible hearing loss in patients exposed to artemether-lumefantrine. To explore this issue, we conducted a case-control study using tympanometry, audiometry and auditory brain-stem responses. We assessed 68 subjects who had been treated with artemether-lumefantrine within the previous five years and 68 age- and sex-matched controls living in the malarious region along the Thailand-Myanmar border. There were no differences in the test results between cases and controls. There was no neurophysiologic evidence of auditory brainstem toxicity that could be attributed to artemether-lumefantrine in this study population. Copyright © 2006 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.