Leeches making a comeback
2001-09-17 13:47
London - Leeches, the tiny blood sucking parasites used by doctors to treat a variety of ailments before the advent of modern medicine, can help relieve chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis, according to research published on Monday.
Doctors at the Essen-Mite Clinic in Germany said the slimy creatures relieved pain without any side effects in 10 patients suffering from osteoarthritis in a small pilot study.
"We regard the observed clear treatment effect as remarkable; treatment with leeches reduced pain significantly after three days and up to four weeks," Dr Gustav Dobos said in a letter to the journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
The leeches were left on the patient's knees for 80 minutes. Some complained that the initial bite of the leech was painful.
The researchers said the blood suckers produced faster pain relief than conventional drugs given to patients in a control group.
Leeches remove blood through a tiny incision in their teeth. The saliva of leeches contains analgesic and anaesthetic compounds, as well as hirudin, an anti-blood clotting agent.
Dobos and his colleagues called for further studies to confirm their results.