title: Hematological findings in children with brucellosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brucellosis produces a variety of non-specific hematological abnormalities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hematological findings in childhood brucellosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of children with brucellosis admitted to a tertiary hospital in a 1 year period, were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-nine patients (mean age, 14.5 ± 3.3 years) were diagnosed with brucellosis. The most common hematological finding was thrombocytopenia (n = 11, 15.9%). Thrombocytosis was detected in five patients (7.3%), leukopenia in four (5.8%), anemia in three (4.3%), and bicytopenia in three (4.3%). None of the patients had pancytopenia. Blood culture was positive for Brucella spp. in 41 patients (59.4%). Among those patients with positive blood culture, six (14.6%) had serum agglutination test titer ≤1/80. Platelet (PLT) count was significantly lower in the bacteremia-positive group. The OR (95%CI) of bacteremia for PLT cut-off 200,000/mm(3) was 0.148 (95%CI: 0.031-0.718) and relative risk was 1.718 (95%CI: 1.244-2.372; P = 0.010).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brucellosis should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of isolated thrombocytopenia in pediatric patients from endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology.
authors.forename: Adalet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aypak
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Van Gevaş State Hospital.
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aypak
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Laboratory, Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bayram
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D010976:Platelet Count; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology
keywords: blood cell count; blood platelet; brucellosis; pediatrics