Kala-azar in Qadisiah : A clinicoepidemiological descriptive study

Abstract

Subject and Method :study involved sixty five children with kala-azar who were admitted to the maternityand children teaching hospital in Diwaniah during a one year period , 1999. Theclinical and epidemiological criteria of the disease were discussed. The majority ofthese patients were under the age of 5 years ( 97% ) and were from rural areas ( 86% )Result :The symptoms and signs of the disease were fever (100% ), splenomegaly (100% ),anaemia ( 100% ), hepatomegaly ( 92% ), anorexia ( 62% ), bleeding tendency ( 46%) and jaundice ( 31% ). Our patients had high incidence of bleeding tendency ,jaundice , edema and relatively high mortality in comparison with patients elsewhere