AJTMH HINARI
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 55(2), 1996, pp. 230-234
Copyright © 1996 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jaspers, C. A. J. J.
Right arrow Articles by Kager, P. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jaspers, C. A. J. J.
Right arrow Articles by Kager, P. A.

Tolerance of Mefloquine Chemoprophylaxis in Dutch Military Personnel

C. A. J. J. Jaspers, A. P. C. C. Hopperus Buma, P. P. A. M. van Thiel, R. A. van Hulst AND P. A. Kager
Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Royal Netherlands Navy, Medical Service, The Hague, The Netherlands; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine and AIDS, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From June until October 1993, a battalion of Dutch marines was stationed in Cambodia for a United Nations deployment. In 73 volunteers who used mefloquine as malaria chemoprophylaxis, possible mefloquine-related adverse events were monitored with special emphasis on QT prolongation. All participants started mefloquine chemoprophylaxis with a loading dose (250 mg a day for three days) one week before departure, followed by a weekly dose (250 mg) for approximately 25 weeks. One month before (t - 1) and one (t + 1) and three (t + 3) months after mefloquine prophylaxis was started, an at rest electrocardiogram was made. Frequency, PR-, and QT-intervals were measured; blood samples for liver transaminases, total white blood cell count, and mefloquine concentration were obtained after one and three months. Adverse events such as dizziness, headache, coordination problems, and nausea were spontaneously reported in one (1.4%) and three (4.1%) persons at t + 1 and t + 3, respectively, while specific questioning revealed adverse events in nine (12.3%) and five (6.9%) persons, respectively, at the same time point. Three months after starting chemoprophylaxis, the heart rate at rest and total white blood cell count were lower (P < 0.05), while the QTc-interval was longer and levels of liver transaminases increased (P < 0.05), although both were still within the normal range. There was no extreme prolongation of the QTc-interval or increased levels of liver transaminases that resulted in a need to stop the chemoprophylaxis. No accumulation of mefloquine in the serum occurred, and no relationship was observed between the incidence of adverse events and serum mefloquine concentrations. The incidence of self reported mefloquine-related adverse events was low. In conclusion, mefloquine chemoprophylaxis was safe and well-tolerated in this group.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J Trop Med HygHome page
T. S. WELLS, T. C. SMITH, B. SMITH, L. Z. WANG, C. J. HANSEN, R. J. REED, W. E. GOLDFINGER, T. E. CORBEIL, C. N. SPOONER, and M. A.K. RYAN
Mefloquine use and hospitalizations among us service members, 2002-2004.
Am J Trop Med Hyg, May 1, 2006; 74(5): 744 - 749.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
H. O. Lobel and P. E. Kozarsky
Update on Prevention of Malaria for Travelers
JAMA, December 3, 1997; 278(21): 1767 - 1771.
[Abstract] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.