Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a common parasitic disease among humans and animals mainly created by species of Leishmania major, Leishmania infantum or Leishmania tropica. Antimony compounds have been introduced and used as first-line agents for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Given the prevalence and spread of leishmaniasis and necessity of medical treatment and follow-up treatment, this study was aimed to present the procedures of treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the city of Dehloran, in Ilam Province, Iran. This study was conducted in April to March 2014 on 676 patients who had active lesions suspected to leishmaniasis referred to the cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment center in Dehloran city. Wound samples were prepared and Giemsa stained. The wound was diagnosed when the Leishmania parasites were seen in tissue specimens. The patients' treatments were various including intralesional meglumine, systemic, cryotherapy and hybrid treatment methods depending on the frequency, intensity, location, extent, type, number, size and location of the lesions. 38.1 of patients were treated with systemic antimony, 38.3 with topical antimony, 15 of patients with cryotherapy alone, 8.1 with topical antimony with cryotherapy and 1 of patients with other therapies. All patients were successfully treated with different methods. Other important items in the choice of treatment were the number of lesions and lesion location. Given that the subjects had leishmaniasis wounds in sensitive and non-sensitive areas of the body they were exposed to different treatment regimes. The patient compliance with physician until the end of treatment process was another factor affecting the success of treatment in this study.