A Case Series Study on Clinical and Epidemiologic Aspects of Kala Azar in Patients Referred to the Children's Medical Center Since 1991 To 2003

Kala azar is a parasitic disease which belongs to the category of metazoonoses (a communicable disease which requires at least to an invertebrate host), In Iran canines are major reservoir for it and most of patients are 6 months to 2 years old. The aim of this study was evaluation of the clinical and epidemiologic aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in patients visiting the Children Medical Center over the 12 past years. This study used the hospital records of a case series of 106 kala azar patients hospitalized in the Children's Medical Center between 1991 and 2001. We extracted and analyzed data on geographical location, background factors, clinical and laboratory findings, response to treatment and Glucantimeâ side effects. The greatest number of cases was seen in 1992 and the smallest number in 1993 and 2003; the number of cases peaked in the spring. Most patients referred to the Center are aged 1 to 4 years, and there is a strong preponderance of males (82.1% vs 17.9%). The majority of these children came from families in which the breadwinner was a peasants or a laborer. Common laboratory findings included anemia, rising ESR titers and thrombocytopenia. The most striking clinical signs and symptoms were fever, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. Eighty-three percent of the patients had shown clinical improvement, 1.9% had died and 15.1% had relapsed. Moreover, in 52.8% of cases, the disease was treated successfully with within 2 weeks; the incidence of Glucantimâ side effects was low. The cities of Khorramabad, Karaj and Saveh had produced the greatest numbers of cases. Compared to other studies, our case series showed a higher proportion of male patients and a somewhat different clinical and laboratory profile. However, the most important achievement of this study was identification of major endemic foci in Ardabil province, northwestern parts of Ghom province, Khorramabad, and regions located south of the Alborz Mountains (e.g. Saveh).