Treatment FAQ

what was quinine widely used as a treatment for

by Prof. Alayna Goldner Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Quinine in the management of severe malaria
The treatment of severe malaria requires prompt, safe, and effective intravenous anti-malarial drugs. Over the years, quinine has been the mainstay in the treatment of severe malaria and still remains the first line drug in most African countries [24].

What is the main use of the drug quinine?

quinine, drug obtained from cinchona bark that is used chiefly in the treatment of malaria, an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of various species of mosquitoes.

Why is quinine used in tonic water?

In the past, quinine was one of the most used substances in the treatment of malaria or malaria, however, since the creation of other synthetic drugs such as chloroquine or primaquine, quinine began to be used only in certain specific cases of malaria …

What is the difference between quinine and quinidine?

What is Quinine Alkaloid? Morphine is a powerful narcotic used for the relief of pain. Codeine is an excellent analgesic that is relatively non-addictive. It is the methyl ether derivative of morphine found... Quinidine obtained from plants of the genus Cinchona, is used to treat arrhythmias ( ...

What is quinine used for medically?

Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Quinine remains an important anti-malarial drug almost 400 years after its effectiveness was first documented. However, its continued use is challenged by its poor tolerability, poor compliance with complex dosing regimens, and the availability of more efficacious anti-malarial drugs.

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What is the major use of quinine?

Quinine has been used for the treatment of malaria and associated febrile states, leg cramps caused by vascular spasm, internal hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and pleural cavities after thoracoplasty.Jan 17, 2022

What was quinine used for in the 1800s?

Quinine, an alkaloid derived from the South American cinchona tree, was well recognized by the middle 1800s as the drug of choice for treating malaria.

Why was quinine taken off the market?

In early 2007, FDA banned all prescription quinine products other than Qualaquin. FDA acted in this manner because of a perception that quinine is not effective for this condition and that its risk potential far exceeds its efficacy potential.

Do doctors still prescribe quinine?

Despite dangers, doctors still prescribe quinine sulfate for restless legs. Quinine is one of the oldest drugs in the pharmacy. Even before the Spanish discovered the New World, native healers in Peru were using the bark of the cinchona tree to treat fever, malaria and indigestion.Jan 15, 2007

Is quinine an antiviral?

In human Caco-2 colon epithelial cells as well as the lung cell line A549 stably expressing ACE2 and TMPRSS2, quinine also showed antiviral activity.Apr 9, 2021

Why is quinine so important to humans?

Benefits and uses of quinine

Quinine's primary benefit is for the treatment of malaria. It's not used to prevent malaria, but rather to kill the organism responsible for the disease. When used to treat malaria, quinine is given in a pill form.

What can quinine be found in?

It is obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree and belongs to the group of alkaloids. In medicine quinine is used to treat malaria and nocturnal leg cramps. In the food sector, quinine is used as a flavouring mainly in beverages like bitter lemon and tonic water.Feb 17, 2005

Why do they put quinine in tonic water?

The quinine present in tonic water provides a distinctive bitter flavour. The inclusion of quinine in tonic is often associated as a primary health benefit of tonic. Quinine's primary benefit is for the treatment of malaria. It's not used to prevent malaria, but rather to kill the organism responsible for the disease.

Is it OK to drink tonic water every day?

Even three glasses daily should be OK as long as you are not sensitive to quinine. Some susceptible people develop a dangerous blood disorder after even small doses of quinine. Symptoms of quinine toxicity include digestive upset, headache, ringing in the ears, visual disturbances, skin rash and arrhythmias.Jul 12, 2016

What drink contains quinine?

Today, you can find quinine in some of your favorite beverages, most notably in tonic water. Historically, tonic water contained very high levels of quinine and was extremely bitter, requiring sugar and, at times, gin to improve the flavor profile.Jul 22, 2019

What was quinine used for in the Civil War?

During the Civil War, the unreliable supply and high cost of quinine forced the Confederate Army to use alternative treatments for malaria. Many quinine substitutes were mentioned in the literature of the time, but relatively few were advocated by Confederate officials and even fewer are described in surviving records.

Can I buy quinine?

In the United States, quinine tablets are available only by prescription for the treatment of malaria (as Qualaquin). In other countries, quinine may be available for leg cramps by prescription or over-the-counter.

What is Quinine used for?

Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria

How long does quinine treatment last?

Even with seven-day treatment durations, evaluations of different quinine dosage regimens have revealed interesting trends. Doses of 10 mg/kg/day given twice daily for 7 days were associated with day 28 treatment failure rates as high as 30%[37]. Increasing the quinine dosage to 15 mg/kg/day or 20 mg/kg/day improved treatment outcomes, with failure rates ranging from 8% to 14%[37], although potential increases in toxicity with higher dosages are a concern. The treatment regimen currently recommended in sub-Saharan Africa is 10 mg/kg of the base given 8 hourly for 7 days. This regimen was associated with a lower rate of recurrent infections on day 28 (6.3%) compared to the 10 mg/kg twice daily regimen (16.1%)[44].

How is quinine absorbed?

Quinine is rapidly absorbed both orally and parenterally, reaching peak concentrations within 1-3 hours[8] . It is distributed throughout the body fluids and is highly protein bound, mainly to alpha-1 acid glycoprotein. The binding capacity in plasma is concentration dependent, but also depends on the levels of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, which therefore makes comparisons between different studies difficult[9]. Quinine readily crosses the placental barrier and is also found in cerebral spinal fluid. Excretion is rapid - 80% of the administered drug is eliminated by hepatic biotransformation and the remaining 20% is excreted unchanged by the kidney [10-12]. The half-life of quinine ranges between 11-18 hours [13,14]. Several pharmacokinetic characteristics of quinine differ according to the age of the subject and are also affected by malaria. The volume of distribution is less in young children than in adults, and the rate of elimination is slower in the elderly than in young adults. In patients with acute malaria the volume of distribution is reduced and systemic clearance is slower than in healthy subjects; these changes are proportional to the severity of the disease. As a result, plasma quinine levels are higher in patients with malaria. Protein binding of quinine is increased in patients with malaria as a result of an increased circulating concentration of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein [15].

What is the bark of a cinchona tree used for?

Purified quinine then replaced the bark as the standard treatment for malaria [5]. Quinine and other cinchona alkaloids including quinidine, cinchonine and cinchonidine are all effective against malaria. The efficacies of these four alkaloids were evaluated in one of the earliest clinical trials, conducted from 1866 to 1868 in 3600 patients using prepared sulfates of the alkaloids. With the main outcome measure of "cessation of febrile paroxysms", all four alkaloids were found to be comparable, with cure rates of >98%[6]. However, after 1890 quinine became the predominantly used alkaloid, mainly due to a change in supply from South American to Javan cinchona bark, which contained a higher proportion of quinine [7]. Quinine remained the mainstay of malaria treatment until the 1920s, when more effective synthetic anti-malarials became available. The most important of these drugs was chloroquine, which was extensively used, especially beginning in the 1940s [6]. With heavy use, chloroquine resistance developed slowly. Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine was seen in parts of Southeast Asia and South America by the late 1950s, and was widespread in almost all areas with falciparum malaria by the 1980s. With increasing resistance to chloroquine, quinine again played a key role, particularly in the treatment of severe malaria [6]. To-date quinine continues to play a significant role in the management of malaria. This review, discusses the historical role of quinine, considers its current usage, and provides insight into the appropriate future use of quinine for the treatment of malaria. Information was obtained by searching published literature in the National Library of Medicine via Pub Med and MEDLINE search engines for research articles, reviews, books, and other reports. Identification of published reports was done using key word searches such as quinine and malaria treatment, quinine and drug resistance, quinine in pregnancy, quinine and antibiotic combinations, and quinine and HIV/TB infected populations.

What are the side effects of quinine?

The side effects commonly seen at therapeutic concentrations are referred to as cinchonism, with mild forms including tinnitus, slight impairment of hearing, headache and nausea. Impairment of hearing is usually concentration dependent and reversible [17]. More severe manifestations include vertigo, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, marked auditory loss, and visual symptoms, including loss of vision. Hypotension may occur if the drug is given too rapidly, and venous thrombosis may occur following intravenous injections [10]. Intramuscular administration is painful and may cause sterile abscesses. Hypoglycaemia is yet another common side effect of quinine therapy [15,18] and is a particular problem in pregnant women[19]. Hypoglycaemia has been reported to occur in up to 32% of patients receiving quinine therapy[18]. However in more recent studies, hypoglycaemia occurred in only 3% of adults and 2.8% of African children receiving quinine [20,21]. Less frequent but more serious side effects of quinine therapy include skin eruptions, asthma, thrombocytopaenia, hepatic injury and psychosis [22].

Which setting has no quinine resistance?

Equatorial Guinea, setting with no quinine resistance

Is Act a good treatment for malaria?

The advent of ACT has provided important new therapeutic options for the management of uncomplicated malaria in regions with high prevalence of multi-drug resistant malaria. A few available trials have shown superiority of ACT over quinine in the management of uncomplicated malaria [32,45,46]. In Brazil, patients treated with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) had significantly faster parasite clearance times when compared to those treated with quinine+doxycycline [46]. Considering the extensive available data, quinine should not be used to treat uncomplicated malaria when ACT is available [27,45]. ACT has the advantages of simplicity of dosing, which promotes adherence to therapy when compared with the seven-day treatment courses of quinine [32,45], better tolerance and decreased risks of serious toxicity.

What is Quinine used for?

Quinine, drug obtained from cinchona bark that is used chiefly in the treatment of malaria, an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium , which is transmitted to humans by the bite of various species of mosquitoes.

When was quinine first used?

Quinine was first synthesized in a laboratory in 1944; however, synthesis of the drug on a commercial scale is not economically feasible.

What diseases were resistant to chloroquine?

During the 1960s several strains of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum developed resistance to the synthetic drugs, particularly the highly valued chloroquine. The parasite remained sensitive, however, to quinine, which had to be reinstated in various parts of the world as the drug of choice despite the side effects that sometimes occur when the necessarily large doses of quinine are given. Prolonged administration of quinine may produce toxic symptoms such as deafness, disturbances in vision, rash, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

What was the only treatment for malaria?

During the 300 years between its introduction into Western medicine and World War I, quinine was the only effective remedy for malaria; as a specific treatment for this disease, quinine benefited a great many people.

Which is more effective, chloroquine or quinine?

Some of them, such as chloroquine, are more effective than quinine in suppressing the growth of the blood forms of the malarial parasite; others, such as primaquine, act upon both the blood and tissue stages of the parasite, thus producing complete cures and preventing relapses.

Where did quinine come from?

Medicines, including quinine, were obtained from trees, as were dyes, tanning materials , and spices.…

Does quinine cause deafness?

Prolonged administration of quinine may produce toxic symptoms such as deafness, disturbances in vision, rash, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.

When should quinine be evaluated?

In addition, the use of quinine should be evaluated when the patient uses other medications, such as Cisapride, Heparin, Rifamycin, or Carbamazepine.

Where does Quinine come from?

Quinine, also called chinchona, is a substance extracted from the peel of a common plant in South America, which is called Quina, whose scientific name is Chinchona calisaya.

How long does it take to boil Quina tea?

To prepare the Quina tea, mix 1 liter of water and 2 tablespoons of the peel of the plant, and boil for 10 minutes; then let it rest for a further 10 minutes and drink a maximum of 2 to 3 cups per day.

What is the bitter additive in cinchona?

Likewise, the compounds obtained from the cinchona plant, mainly quinine, can be used as a bitter additive in certain medicines and beverages and can be found, for example, in some tonic waters.

Does tonic water help with malaria?

However, the concentrations of this substance in tonic water are very low, being below 5 mg / L, so it does not have any therapeutic effect against malaria or any other type of disease.

Can you buy quinine in capsule form?

In addition, the quinine present in the cinchona plant can be purchased in capsule form, however, it is important to note that this drug should only be used under medical indications since there are contraindications and there could be side effects.

Why was Quinine important to the colonization of Africa?

The availability of Quinine as a drug was the main reason why Africa ceased to be known as the white man’s grave. It was quinine’s efficacy that gave colonists opportunities to swarm into Gold Coast, Nigeria, and other parts of Africa. Quinine remained the antimalarial drug of choice until World War 2. Since then, the other drugs had fewer side effects.

Where does quinine come from?

Quinine is extracted from the bark of the Cinchona family of trees. It is rather one of the best ways of treating malaria when other medications fail to treat it. However, for other forms of malaria, quinine is no longer used as other drugs have successfully replaced it.

What is the difference between Cinchona and Malaria?

Whereas, Cinchona was fairly recognized as an effective treatment for the disease. By 1650, the shipment of Cinchona was regularly sent to Spain from its colonies. The use of Peruvian bark helped to separate malaria from other fevers and served as one of the practices of specific drug therapy. It was unclear as of which species were the best sources of Quinine source bark resulting exports were often adulterated with the bark of other trees. Around 1820, the first quinine alkaloid was introduced and described. Within 5 years, the extracted alkaloids became the standard treatment for malaria.

What tree has quinine?

Medicine of quinine is provided by the bark of the chinchona tree and is primarily used in the treatment of malaria disease.

What is quinolone used for?

Quinine is a medication usually used to treat malaria and babesiosis. It is a basic amine and is usually provided as a salt. It is an alkaloid that is used to reduce fever, work against malaria, swelling, and pain.

Can quinine cause nausea?

The most common adverse effects involve a group of symptoms called cinchonism, which can include headache, vasodilation and sweating, hearing impairment, nausea, vertigo or dizziness, blurred vision, and color blindness. Cinchonism is less common when quinine is given by mouth, but the oral prescription is not well tolerated due to its extreme bitterness. It may lead to vomiting after ingesting quinine tablets. Other drugs such as Fansider or Malarone are often used when oral therapy is required. Here, blood glucose, electrolyte, and cardiac monitoring are not necessarily required when quinine is given by mouth.

What is the optical isomer of quinidine?

Quinine is an optical isomer of quinidine. Quinine was once widely used for treatment of malaria and is still occasionally used for chloroquine-resistant cases.

How much quinol sulfate is toxic?

Quinine sulfate is available in capsules and tablets containing 130–325 mg. The minimum toxic dose is approximately 3–4 g in adults; 1 g has been fatal in a child. Clinical presentation. Toxic effects involve the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, the eyes, and other organ systems.

Is quinine a cardiotoxin?

The mechanism of quinine toxicity is believed to be similar to that of quinidine (See Quinidine and Other Type IA Antiarrhythmic Drugs ); however, quinine is a much less potent cardiotoxin. Quinine also has toxic effects on the retina that can result in blindness.

Is quinine toxic to pregnant women?

Other toxic effects of quinine include hypokalemia, hypoglycemia, hemolysis (in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD] deficiency), and congenital malformations when used in pregnancy.

Can quinine be measured?

Specific levels. Serum quinine levels can be measured by the same assay as for quinidine, as long as quinidine is not present. However, most hospital-based clinical laboratories no longer offer these assays. Plasma quinine levels above 10 mg/L have been associated with visual impairment; 87% of patients with levels above 20 mg/L reported blindness. Levels above 16 mg/L have been associated with cardiac toxicity.

Why is quinine not recommended for routine use?

Although modestly effective for this indication, quinine is not recommended for routine use because of safety concerns.

Does quinine cause tinnitus?

A variety of adverse effects can occur with the usual therapeutic doses of quinine, including cinchonism (marked by tinnitus, high-tone hearing loss, photophobia and other visual disturbances, dysphoria, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness and postural hypotension), hypoglycemia (from the drug’s stimulatory effect on pancreatic β cells; most common in the treatment of severe malaria), hypotension (usually related to intravenous infusion of the drug), hearing and visual disturbances (including irreversible loss), gastrointestinal symptoms, cutaneous effects, conduction abnormalities (mild prolongation of the corrected QT interval, which is rare unless plasma levels are elevated), arrhythmias and hemolysis (from hypersensitivity or in patients with G6PD deficiency).2,3

Is quinone safe for leg cramps?

Quinine: not a safe drug for treating nocturnal leg cramps

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