Study of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in children of Iraq | ||
| Mustansiriya Medical Journal | ||
| Article 1, Volume 11, Issue 2, December 2012, Pages 15-19 | ||
| Author | ||
| Sadiq M. Al-Hamash | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by a Leishmania species, transmitted to humans through bites of female sand fly and is endemic in Iraq. Aims: To study the epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in Iraqi children. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective study done on patients with Kala-azar admitted to Welfare Child Hospital-Medical City from October 2004 to September 2005. The diagnosis was based on serological test and/or bone marrow exam. For each patient the following data were reviewed: age, sex, time of admission, signs, symptoms, laboratory investigations and treatments. Results: A total of 50 visceral leishmaniasis cases were included. All patients were in the age range 0-10 years. Most cases occur in winter 70%. Fever was recorded in 100%, splenomegaly in 92%, hepatomegaly in 80%, and pallor in 70% of cases. Concomitant conditions were frequent: 34% of cases had cough; jaundice was present in 26%; diarrhea in 18%; vomiting in 12% whereas lymphadenopathy was present only in 1% of cases. Sodium stibogluconate (pentostam) was most often prescribed medication (86% of cases) while miltefosine was less prescribed (14% of cases). Conclusions: in Iraq, kala-azar should be suspected in any patient with prolonged fever and/or hepatosplenomegaly with pancytopenia whereas in case of presence of lymphadenopathy the kala-azar would be the last possible differential diagnosis. Also Pentostam remains the most common prescribed medication for kala-azar in our country. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Leishmaniasis; Kala; azar; Hepatosplenomegaly | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 152 PDF Download: 27 |
||