Childhood cutaneous leishmaniasis: Experience of a Moroccan unit of dermatology.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We undertook a monocentric retrospective analysis of childhood leishmaniasis in order to describe the epidemio-clinical profile, therapeutic characteristics and clinical outcomes of affected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The files of all children treated for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the Dermatology Department of Ibn Sina University Hospital over an 11-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of thirteen children were included. The mean age was 10.2 years and the sex ratio (F/M) was 5.5. All patients lived or had stayed in an endemic area. The average delay of diagnosis was 11.8 months. The most frequent clinical finding consisted of ulcers (61.5%), usually located on the face (69.2%). The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by parasitologic smear in 76.9 percent of cases. The treatment used was intralesional meglumine antimoniate in twelve cases. The outcome was favorable in all cases. CONCLUSION: Our series is characterized by a female predominance and the patients presented with a single lesion. The lesions were frequently located on the face and a favorable outcome was obtained after treatment with intralesional meglumine antimoniate.