Poor results of treatment of echinococcosis with albendazole in 7 patients

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of treatment of echinococcal disease with albendazole, a drug recently licensed in the Netherlands for this treatment. SETTING: The University Hospital Utrecht and the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht. DESIGN: Follow-up study. METHOD: Clinical symptoms, serology and size and morphology of cysts of all patients (n = 7) treated with albendazole with a therapeutical dose (10 mg/kg for adults and 6 mg/kg for children in two daily doses during three cycles of 28 days) were monitored for at least one year. RESULTS: Two patients improved, two patients did not show any change, and the condition of three patients deteriorated. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of albendazole treatment with this regimen for hydatid disease is disappointing. If patients are treated with albendazole, the total dose administered to adults should be more than 80 g.