Heat therapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis: A literature Review

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in many parts of the world with a high economic and health impact. Despite many treatments that have been suggested for this zoonotic infection, there is still no definite therapy for CL. Meglumine antimony compounds are considered as a standard treatment for leishmaniasis, however, these medications have a relatively high side effect profile and not always effective. Physical modalities including cryotherapy, laser, and heat therapy have also been used for this purpose. As a source of heat therapy, different methods have been used including radiofrequency, ultrasound, infrared, exothermic crystallization thermotherapy, and microwave. We reviewed all of the articles in PubMed regarding the use of heat therapy for the treatment of CL up to January 2020. According to our literature review, heat therapy using different sources showed promising results for the treatment of CL that were comparable to meglumine antimony. In addition, heat therapy has very low side effect profiles that are localized to the treatment area suggesting this method as a safe procedure for CL therapy. This study is a brief review of the literature about the effect of heat therapy on the treatment of CL. Performing randomized clinical trials to compare different methods of heat therapy and to compare it with meglumine antimony compounds is recommended.

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“…None of these home remedies or chemicals has been medically proven effective for curing CL, but these practices could worsen the lesion and delay treatment seeking. We could observe a similar practice to ‘heat therapy’, which is defined as ‘using heat to treat different health conditions and relieve pain’ [ 51 ]. There is evidence of the successful medical use of heat therapy for CL around other countries [ 51 ].…”

“…We could observe a similar practice to ‘heat therapy’, which is defined as ‘using heat to treat different health conditions and relieve pain’ [ 51 ]. There is evidence of the successful medical use of heat therapy for CL around other countries [ 51 ]. However, the practice of heating the lesion using a boiled spoon, as reported by the participants of this study, could be a more localised and adjusted version of the standard heat therapy.…”

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“…Clinical trials and systematic reviews of both new and old treatments are also needed. The recent systematic assessments of thermotherapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis is an example of this type of work [ 33 ]. Furthermore, addressing the issue of treatment cost, which limits the provision of care in so many places, is a priority [ 34 ].…”