Successful treatment of neurocysticercosis with albendazole desensitization

Neurocysticercosis is a growing public health problem in the United States. Albendazole is a mainstay of medical therapy for neurocysticercosis, and here we present a case of hypersensitivity to albendazole leading to life-threatening disease progression. To report the first successful albendazole desensitization protocol. An oral albendazole 12-step desensitization protocol was developed, starting with 0.001 mg and progressing at 15 minutes intervals. Dosage for each subsequent step was as follows: 0.003 mg, 0.01 mg, 0.03 mg, 0.1 mg, 0.3 mg, 1 mg, 3 mg, 10 mg, 30 mg, 100 mg, 300mg. The patient rapidly improved from a symptomatic standpoint, and repeat MRI showed a dramatic improvement in lesions. This successful desensitization protocol to albendazole can be of value to other patients with history suggestive of IgE-mediated allergy needing treatment for parasitic infections.