The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2009 , Vol 51 , Num 1
Visceral childhood leishmaniasis in southern Turkey: experience of twenty years
1Division of Intensive Care, Department of Pediatrics, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey
2Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey
3Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey
Dursun O, Erişir S, Yeşilipek A. Visceral childhood leishmaniasis in southern Turkey: experience of twenty years. Turk J Pediatr 2009; 51: 1-5.

One hundred and one children with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) who admitted to Akdeniz University Hospital during a 20-year period were analyzed. Median age of the patients was 3 years (range: 5.5 months-13 years). The most common symptoms at presentation were fever, pallor and abdominal distension. Splenomegaly was found in all of the patients while hepatomegaly was present in 98%. Anemia (96%), leukopenia (74%) and thrombocytopenia (56%) were the main laboratory abnormalities. Thirty-three (33%) of the patients were pancytopenic on admission. Bone marrow smear was positive for leishmania in 91% of the patients. Seventy-four patients were treated with antimony ± pentamidine and 27 with amphotericin B. Three of our patients died because of secondary infections and hemorrhage. Relapse was observed in two patients. No patient showed post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis findings.

We conclude that VL should be considered in patients with prolonged fever, hepatosplenomegaly and cytopenia who live in an endemic region. Amphotericin B is a therapeutic agent as effective as pentavalent antimony compounds and could be preferred. Keywords : visceral leishmaniasis, kala-azar, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, dyserythropoiesis

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