BackgroundPlasmodium vivax is an important cause of malaria in many parts of Asia and South America, and parasite resistance to the standard treatment (chloroquine) is now high in some parts of Oceania. This review aims to assess the current treatment options in the light of increasing chloroquine resistance.
ObjectivesTo compare artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) with alternative antimalarial regimens for treating acute uncomplicated P. vivax malaria.
Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Infectious Disease Group Specialized Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CEN-TRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; LILACS; and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) up to 28 March 2013 using "vivax" and "arte* OR dihydroarte*" as search terms.
Selection criteriaRandomized controlled trials comparing ACTs versus standard therapy, or comparing alternative ACTs, in adults and children with uncomplicated P. vivax malaria.
Data collection and analysisTwo authors independently assessed trials for eligibility and risk of bias, and extracted data. We used recurrent parasitaemia prior to day 28 as a proxy for effective treatment of the blood stage parasite, and compared drug treatments using risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used trials following patients for longer than 28 days to assess the duration of the post-treatment prophylactic effect of ACTs. We assessed the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. 1 Artemisinin-based combination therapy for treating uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax malaria (Review)
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