Leprosy
Mailing List – October 9th, 2010
Ref.: Pharmacogenetic
studies of response to treatment erythema nodosum leprosum
From:
Lavinia Schuler Faccini,
Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Dear
Salvatore,
Can
you send this message about a project we are initiating in
Brazil
?
Thanks,
Lavinia
PHARMACOGENETIC
STUDIES OF RESPONSE TO TREATMENT
ERYTHEMA
NODOSUM LEPROSUM
The
most used drugs in the Brazilian practice for the treatment of
erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) are thalidomide and prednisone. Clinical
trials show that thalidomide besides being more effective in reducing
symptoms also generates a faster response. However, it is not widely
used because of teratogenicity and peripheral neuropathy. The
treatment with prednisone is the best known and always used in cases
of neural involvement, but has the disadvantage of very long treatment
with significant adverse effects.
Based on the limitations of both treatments, we are developing
a pharmacogenetic study in which we are testing genetic polymorphisms
involved in the thalidomide and prednisone's metabolic pathway. Our
goal is to evaluate if there is genetic differences between
individuals in the response to treatment of ENL with these two drugs
(both with respect to clinical response as adverse effects). In
that way, we aim in the future to be able to predict which
patients might benefit more with each medication or, on the other
side, be more prone to adverse effects. Thus, we are asking
Brazilian centers with patients undergoing treatment for ENL using
some of these drugs to collaborate in this research. For those
interested we ask to write to:
fslvianna@gmail.com
Fernanda Sales Luiz Vianna
or
lavinia.faccini@ufrgs.br
Dr. Lavinia Schüler-Faccini
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL
