Adverse events associated with benznidazole treatment for Chagas disease
in children and adults
Abstract
AIM: Chagas disease (ChD) is a neglected disease affecting approximately
7 million individuals in Latin America. Benznidazole (BZ) is the most
commonly used treatment. Therefore, understanding the adverse effects of
BZ is crucial for devising targeted monitoring and interventions to
enhance patient management. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of
patients with ChD treated with BZ to identify and characterize BZ
adverse drug reactions (ADRs). RESULTS: 518 patients were enrolled: 449
children (median age: 4yrs, range 1mo-17.75yrs) and 69 adults (median
age: 25yrs, range 18-59). A 75% of pediatric patients received a median
dose of BZ of 6.6 mg/kg/day (IQR25–75 = 5.7-7.3) for at least 60 days.
Adult patients received a median BZ dose of 5.6 mg/kg/day (IQR25–75 =
5.2-6.1) for a median duration of 31 days (IQR25–75 = 30-60). Overall,
152/518 (29.34%) patients developed BZ-related ADRs, with an incidence
of 116/449 (25.83%) in children and 36/69 (52.17%) in adults (OR =
0.32, CI95 = 0.19 to 0.54, p < 0.001). The study identified
240 ADRs, primarily mild to moderate, but severe ADRs occurred in 1.11%
of children and 1.45% of adults. The skin was the most affected system
in both groups. A 10.23% of patients abandoned treatment (53/518).
Adults discontinued treatment more frequently than children (OR = 3.36
CI95 = 1.7 to 6.4, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study supports
the safety of BZ for ChD in children and adults. Avoiding BZ treatment
due to safety concerns does not seem to be supported by the evidence.