DEC (Di-ethyl-carbamazine) is used for the treatment of:

Diethyl carbamazine citrate (DEC): It is the first drug for filariasis. DEC is absorbed after oral ingestion, distributed all over the body (V = 3-5 L/kg), metabolized in liver and excreted in urine. Excretion is faster in acidic urine.Diethylcarbamazine has a highly selective effect on microfilariae (Mf). A dose of 2 mg/kg TDS clears Mf of W. bancrofti and B. malayi from peripheral blood in 7 days. However, Mf present in nodules and transudates (hydrocoele) are not killed. The most impoant action of DEC appears to be alteration of Mf membranes so that they are readily phagocytosed by tissue fixed monocytes, but not by circulating phagocytes. Muscular activity of the Mf and adult worms is also affected causing hyperpolarization due to the piperazine moiety, so that they are dislodged. Prolonged treatment may kill adult B. malayi and probably W. bancrofti worms also. ESSENTIALS OF MEDICAL PHARMACOLOGY K.D.TRIPATHI SIXTH EDITION PAGE NO:812