title: Neurological involvement in visceral leishmaniasis: case report.
abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe and potentially fatal vector-borne disease. The most typical symptoms are fever, hepatosplenomegaly, weight loss, bleeding and bacterial infections. Neurological changes are rarely reported. This paper describes a child who presented with neurological signs as the first symptoms of leishmaniasis; tone was diminished and tremors in the extremities were observed. A diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis was confirmed by parasite detection in the bone marrow. Symptoms were reversed by specific treatment. The nature of a possible mechanism of neurological involvement in visceral leishmaniasis remains unexplained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Hospital Infantil João Paulo II, Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. lmodiniz@medicina.ufmg.br
authors.forename: Lílian Martins Oliveira
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duani
authors.forename: Camila Rodrigues
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Rosângela Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: Christovão Castro
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Xavier
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000469:parasitology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D020808:Central Nervous System Protozoal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed