Abstract
This is a retrospective study to describe the geographical distribution of <i>visceral leishmaniasis</i> among children in Dhamar governorate, Yemen and to assess the outcomes of the chemotherapeutic management. It was conducted at Al -Wahdah University Hospital, Mabar, Dhamar governorate from April 2015 to March 2016. The study population were all the patients admitted to the hospital having the disease and the data sourced from the patients ‘charts using a performa sheet. Fifty-seven pediatric patients with confirmed <i>visceral leishmaniasis</i> were registered during the study period. The mean age was 3.51±2.4 years and all cases were from Dhamar governorate. All cases presented with fever and splenomegaly. All children were severely anemic and the mean haemoglobin concentration was (6.51±2.82 g/dl). The mean duration of symptoms prior to admission was 98.28±10.6 days and the mean hospital stay was 22.07±15.3 days. The cure rate after hospital management was 94.7%. Death had occurred in 3 cases (5.2%) mostly seen among younger age, and with prolonged illness prior to hospitalization. This study confirmed the presence of VL cases in Dhamar governorate, most frequently affected children below four years of age with excellent response to chemotherapeutic drug. The extension of <i>visceral leishmaniasis</i> infection to involve the highest central regions indicates that the disease tend to spread to other unusual parts of the country. Such a new distribution combined with lack of vital recording and reporting make the efforts to approximate the figure of true incidence difficult.
Highlights
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis with high mortality if not treated
The aim of this study is to describe retrospectively the geographical distribution of visceral leishmaniasis among children in Dhamar governorate and to assess the outcomes of the chemotherapeutic management
The majority of VL cases (45.6%) were identified in Anes destrict, (24.5%) from A’ns, (19.2%) from Wesab, (5.2%) from Al hada and (5.2%) from Automah
Summary
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis with high mortality if not treated. It is estimated that over 200 million people around the world are at risk of acquiring the disease [2], and about 500000 new cases per year of VL globally are recorded [3]. VL is one of the seven most neglected tropical disease in the world [4]. The disease occurs in focal distribution and in remote locations, making extrapolation from official data sources difficult [5]. The prevalence of VL in pediatric population is high due to the higher susceptibility to infections and the immune-depressed state found in this population [6]. The majority of pediatric patients present with fever, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, weight loss, haemorrhage, lymphadenopathy and less frequently dry cough and diarrhea [7]
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