Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment Outcome of Brucellosis Among Children

Brucellosis is a systemic infection with a various clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic infection to serious and fatal diseases. In endemic area, one-third of all cases of human brucellosis have been reported in children..
This study aimed to evaluate epidemiology, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome of brucellosis among children in Zahedan City..
Patients and During 36 months, from December 2008 through October 2011, we evaluated all patients younger than 19 years old who were referred to Infectious Diseases Clinic in Boo-Ali Hospital (Zahedan City, southeastern Iran). The patients were referred because of fever, myalgia, and arthralgia, chronic low-back pain, bone pain, and other signs or symptoms consistent with brucellosis and had a positive results for serology test. Titers > 1:80 were considered as positive results..
Among 32 patients with brucellosis (24 male and 8 female; age range, 7-19 years), 83% had chronic bone pain. Fever was reported in 39% and the least frequent complication was osteomyelitis (3%). Patients were treated medically and all the patients survived..
Our study showed that the clinical manifestations and complication in children with brucellosis are similar to that in the adults; however, treatment can be different according to age of patients. In endemic areas, every patient with low-back pain in any age group should be evaluate for brucellosis..