[Danger of malaria self-treatment. Acute neurologic toxicity of mefloquine and its combination with pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine].

BACKGROUND

Mefloquine and pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine combination are recommended, as is quinine, for self-administered malaria prophylaxis. Patients should be carefully informed about appropriate use of this therapeutic scheme and advised on the importance of strict compliance to avoid overdose.

CASE REPORT: We report the case of a patient who did not follow the prescribed dosage and who developed acute neurological disorders after overdosing. The patient developed seizures attributable to the sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine combination and mefloquine encephalopathy.

DISCUSSION: Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine-related seizures are exceptional and result from an overdose of pyrimethamine. The neurotoxicity of mefloquine is well-known and is particularly frequent at curative dosage. Toxic encephalopathy is a serious neurological manifestation which is slowly reversible depending on individual predisposition. Anti-malaria prophylaxis requires concerted efforts on the part of the traveler and the prescribing physician. Self-administration schemes can be both most useful and dangerous due to expected benefits and potential risks.