Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine or sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine for the chemoprevention of malaria in children with sickle cell anaemia in eastern and southern Africa (CHEMCHA): a protocol for a multi-centre, two-arm, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled superiority trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An estimated 300,000 babies are born with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) annually. Affected children have chronic ill health and suffer premature death. Febrile illnesses such as malaria commonly precipitate acute crises in children with SCA. Thus, chemoprophylaxis for malaria is an important preventive strategy, but current regimes are either sub-optimally effective (e.g. monthly sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, SP) or difficult to adhere to (e.g. daily proguanil). We propose dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) as the agent with the most potential to be used across Africa.

Methods

This will be a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group superiority trial of weekly single-day courses of DP compared to monthly single-day courses of SP in children with SCA. The study will be c

SUBMITTER: Nkosi-Gondwe T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10074896 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature