PROFILE OF CHLOROQUINE – INDUCED PRURITUS IN NIGERIAN CHILDREN RESIDENT IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Chloroquine is still the first-line drug in the treatment of malaria in Nigeria and WestAfrica sub-region. A major drawback to the use of chloroquine is pruritus. We studied 
a total of 175 children aged 1–15 years with a view to assessing some factors that may 
influence chloroquine induced pruritus and the possible impact on therapy with this 
drug. The mean age was 5.2+4.0 and there were 87 females and 88 males. 
Chloroquine-induced pruritus was found in 43/175 (24.6%). All the subjects 
experienced the itching within 24 hours of ingestion of the drug and median duration of 
the itching was 2 days. Majority of those who itched still used chloroquine to treat 
malaria for various reasons. There was positive family history in 34/43 (79%) of those 
who itched and 57/132 (43%) of those who did not itch to chloroquine. Those who had 
chloroquine-induced pruritus were relatively older (mean age 6.90+3.68 years versus 
4.64+4.00; p< 0.05) and mean age onset of chloroquine-induced pruritus was 
positively associated with mean age of the children r = 0.91; 95% confidence limits: 
0.71< r < 0.91. We concluded that chloroquine-induced pruritus in this group of 
children evolved with increasing age and was associated with positive family history.