Volume : 5, Issue : 12, December - 2016

Frequency of Congenital Visceral Leishmaniasis in paediatric patients visiting a tertiary care institute in Jharkhand, India-A case study over 3 years duration

Dr. Kamlesh Prasad Sinha, Dr. Purnima Bharati, Dr. Smita Gupta

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<span style="text-align: justify; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Visceral leishmaniasis(Kala Azar) is an endemic disease in Bihar and many districts of Jharkhand.</span><span style="text-align: justify; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">VL <b>(kala-azar) </b>typically affects children &lt;5 yr of age in the New World and Mediterranean region&nbsp; (<i>L.infantum /chagasi</i>) and older children and young adults in Africa and Asia (<i>L. donovani</i>). During this three year period,12 patients were confirmatory diagnosed as Kala Azar by the presence of LD bodies in bone marrow aspirates. Among them, 2 cases were found to be of congenital Leishmaniasis, who presented with fever and marked splenomegaly and their mothers were&nbsp; not suffering from Kala Azar at that time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>