CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF GONORRHEAL OPHTHALMIA

Abstract

Numerous reports regarding the excellent results from sulfanilamide in the treatment of gonorrheal ophthalmia have appeared in the literature in the past four years. At the same time there have been reported a number of cases in which the response was not satisfactory. For example, there were some cases in which a prolonged period of therapy was required, some in which there were recurrences and a few in which the disease became complicated by corneal involvement. These cases well illustrate the limitations of sulfanilamide therapy and make evident the need for a more effective drug. Of the many derivatives of sulfanilamide that have been investigated for their chemotherapeutic usefulness, sulfapyridine, sulfathiazole and the more recently introduced compound sulfadiazine (2-[paraaminobenzenesulfonamido]-pyrimidine) have proved to be the most valuable. Sulfanilamide, sulfapyridine and sulfathiazole have been given a clinical trial in the treatment of gonorrheal ophthalmia in the Cleveland City Hospital. Up to the