AbstractBackground: Kala-azar is an important parasitic disease that affects children of all age groups, it is caused by Leishmania species and transmitted by sand fly. The aim of study is to identify the clinical features and biochemical derangements of the liver in patients with kala azar before starting treatment.
Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional research was undertaken on 33 patients with clinical and lab diagnoses of kala azar at Babylon Teaching Hospital for Gynecology and Pediatrics in Hilla from January 2013 to January 2014. A case investigation form collected epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data. Pre-treatment lab testing assessed liver dysfunction in these individuals. A bone marrow aspiration was utilized to diagnose.
Results: Thirty-three kala azar patients were investigated clinically and laboratory. The majority of 33 patients were under 2 years old. It was 1:1.4, with 19 men and 14 women. Nearly all patients had fever, 91% had splenomegaly, and 70% had hepatomegaly. At diagnosis, half of patients showed biochemical liver function abnormalities and 9% had acute liver failure.
Conclusion: Liver involvement is found in some patients both by clinical and biochemical markers. Some patients presented with features of acute hepatic failure before starting treatment.