AGAINST the backdrop of the dangers of self medication, Professor Samuel Olaleye says incorrect use of malaria drugs can trigger stomach ulcer, especially in ulcer-prone patients and also exacerbate severe ulcer conditions.
Professor Olaleye, in his inaugural lecture entitled “Winds Against the Hollow: Lessons from the Sentinel” at the University of Ibadan, stated that various types of malaria drugs, including chloroquine, amodiaquine, sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) can affect the integrity of the stomach wall and lead to stomach problems.
The don declared “It may result in over secretion of gastric acid which in turn compromises the integrity of the stomach wall and this can make a person who didn’t have ulcer before to develop ulcer due to the abuse of the malaria drug.
“In a series of investigations into how various classes of antimalarial drugs affect the gastrointestinal system of experimental rats, one study concluded that chloroquine does not increase acid secretion in the stomach, it also erodes the wall of the stomach which leads to ulcer.
“In another study, Amodiaquine had a similar deleterious effect like chloroquine on the stomach. On the other hand, artemisinin and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine may be considered safe because it is protective against any attack on the lining of the stomach.”
According to Prof Olaleye, a combination therapy of antimalarials like chloroquine and artemisinin showed better results at fighting malaria with minimal effect on the stomach health than other antimalarial drugs.
He added, “My counsel to the public is that they should always check with their physician or pharmacist before taking any malaria drug. For instance, if an ulcer patient takes chloroquine as antimalarial, it might cure malaria but it will aggravate the ulcer in the patient’s stomach.”
On medicinal plants protective against ulcer, Professor Olaleye listed bitter kola, wonderful cola and plants like Scent leaf and African star apple as helpful in decreasing secretion of acids in the stomach and preventing ulcer formation in the stomach in a dose-dependent fashion.
The don, who noted that healing of stomach ulcers is delayed with aging, said exposure to heavy metals from environmental pollution can cause assault on the digestive tract, leading to an increase in the incidence and relapse of stomach ulcer and other stomach disorders.
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