The Efficacy of Carbon Dioxide Laser in the Treatment of Chronic and Lupoid Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Kerman City: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background & Aims: Lupoid (LL) and chronic leishmaniais (CCL) are variants of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) which are resistant to various treatments. The diseases are endemic in some developing countries such as Iran. A Variety of drugs with different effects have been suggested in recent decades. Carbon deoxide laser has been recently applied in the treatment of different dermatological diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of CO2 laser compared to systemic Glucantime plus Allopurionl in the treatment of LL and CCL. Methods: A total of 50 patients with 86 LL or CCL lesions were participated in this study. They were divided into the two groups; the first group was treated with CO2 laser for one session and the second group wastreated with Glucantime (50 mg/kg IM for 21 days) plus Allopurionl (20mg/kg for 30 days). All patients were followed at weeks 4th, 8th, 48th and 72nd and the results were compared. Results: At week 4, the cure rate of complete improvement of two treatment groups was not statistically different (P=0.609). By week 8, the cure rate slightly decreased (P=0.417). The decreasing trend continued until weeks 48th and 72nd (P=0.289 and P=0.095, respectively). Finally, 16 patients of laser group and 22 patients of the other group were cured, but statistically no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P=0.095). Conclusions: Carbon deoxide laser therapy could be used in patients with hypersensitivity to pentavalent antimoniate or those with serious systemic diseases