Retrospective clinical and laboratory evaluation of children with brucellosis.
BACKGROUND
Acute brucellosis is a zoonotic disease seen in childhood, with non-specific complaints and clinical findings that can affect the locomotor, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous systems. Particularly in endemic regions, it occurs as a result of consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy products. In this study, clinical and laboratory findings of children with acute brucellosis are presented.


METHODS
Data for 147 patients, aged 2-16 years, were evaluated retrospectively.


RESULTS
The most frequent complaints and clinical findings were abdominal pain and fever. Other complaints and clinical findings included arthralgia, myalgia, loss of appetite, weakness, sweating, fatigue, headache, arthritis, hepatomegaly, and splenomegaly. Anemia was the most frequent hematological abnormality detected; other abnormalities included leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and pancytopenia.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood brucellosis can cause non-specific complaints and particularly anemia and leukopenia as hematological abnormalities. It is easily treated, however, with appropriate antibiotics.
Department of Pediatrics, Düzce University Medical Faculty, Düzce, Turkey. okurmesut@yahoo.com
Mesut
M
Okur
Fatih
F
Erbey
Mehmet Selçuk
MS
Bektaş
Avni
A
Kaya
Murat
M
Doğan
Mehmet Nuri
MN
Acar
Hakan
H
Uzun
D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology