TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HUMAN CHAGAS-DISEASE WITH ITRACONAZOLE AND ALLOPURINOL - PRELIMINARY-REPORT

The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy of itraconazole and al lopunnol in chronic . Chagas disease. Two hundred two subjects (137 in fected, 59 with Chagas cardiopathy and 6 with non chagasic cardiopathy ) were randomly assigned to be treated with itraconazol (87 subjects r eceiving 6 mg/kg/day for 120 days), allopurinol (68 subjects receiving 8.5 mg/kg/day for 60 days) or placebo (47 subjects during 60 days). M edications were well tolerated. Indirect hemagglutination test was mod ified in 5 subjects (3.2%) after treatment. Initially positive xenodia gnosis became negative in 34 of 36 subjects (94.4%) treated with itrac onazole and 8 of 10 subjects (80%) treated with allopurinol. Initially normal EKG was not modified in 100% of patients receiving placebo, 84 .9% receiving itraconazole and 86.7% receiving allopurinol. Initially abnormal EKG became normal in 10 of 31 subjects (32%) receiving itraco nazole, 8 of 20 (40%) receiving allopurinol and none of 8 receiving pl acebo. ft is concluded that xenodiagnosis and EKG improvements indicat e that itraconazole and allopurinol have a role in the treatment of ch ronic Chagas disease. A 36 months follow up of these patients will hel p to confirm this conclusion.