Hydrogel: Thermal therapy for uncomplicated cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is endemic in approximately 98 countries and it is estimated that more than 350 million people are at risk. Each year, between 700,000 and one million new cases and between 20,000 and 30,000 deaths are reported. Current treatments have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, myalgia, toxicity and pancreatic disease. In addition, they require constant medical supervision, which increases costs for the patient. In response to this situation, the Program for the Study and Control of Tropical Diseases -PECET- of the University of Antioquia, developed a biomaterial in the form of a hydrogel polymerizing acrylamide and acrylic acid via free radicals, to perform thermal therapy of cutaneous Leishmaniasis. It was designed to treat the disease in a scheme of only three applications with anesthesia over a week, being tolerated by the patient and without generating toxic effects.