Abstract

János Csupó Telkes

D-penicillamine (DPA) was first recognized as a potential benefit for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (1974-1980) in the Department of Neonatology of Medical University of Debrecen, Hungary. During this time, there was a remarkedly low incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the infants treated with DPA. Later, studies by this author was replicated in other institutes in Hungary, and in the U.S., and India. It is important to note that there was no intolerance or short- or long-term toxicity of the medication, in spite of the fact that in the newborn period, DPA was used 10-20 times higher doses than in adult. On the basis of American research work concerning the beneficial effect of DPA-therapy in adult AIDS-patients, it would be reasonable to treat neonatal HIV-positivity due to vertical transmission with short-term DPA therapy.