Mentee
Joy Xu
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Mentor
Jonathan Glass, MD
Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Overview
Cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that causes skin and mucosal lesions. Although half of all cases affect children, less than 10% of clinical trials include pediatric patients. This underrepresentation highlights the need for standardized treatment protocols for children. Amphotericin B is 74% effective but can cause toxic adverse effects such as organ toxicities. To avoid these side effects, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) endorsed heat therapy or cryotherapy for children. This review compares amphotericin B, heat therapy, and cryotherapy for treatment of leishmaniasis in children. The primary outcome is complete re-epithelialization of lesions and secondary outcomes include adverse effects. Studies from 2010-2024 were performed in duplicate by blinded reviewers with a third independent reconciler. This review aims to enhance clinical practice and guide future treatment guidelines for managing this disease in pediatric populations as cases emerge in North America.
Status
This project was funded through a 2024 PeDRA Emerging Investigator Research Grant.
