A clinico-epidemiological study on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Erbil, Iraq (2015-2017)

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Makhmur District (Erbil Province).</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> A cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study was performed in the outpatient clinic of Makhmur General Health Center. All the patients who presented at the dermatology clinic during the period from January 2015 to January 2017 were included in the study. The provisional diagnosis was dependent mainly on clinical examination in addition to Giemsa stain.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> A total of 1264 cutaneous leishmaniasis cases were diagnosed during the study period with males representing 54.6% of the cases. The study participants ranged from 10 months to 61 years. Age group <15 years were 53.5%. Clinically, 49.3% of patients had one lesion, 51.5% of patients had wet type. Most lesions were found on both limbs (48.8%). The highest number of cases was recorded during February (29.1%) and November (21.8%), while the lowest rate of cases was recorded in July (0.2%). According to stain results, 70.6% of the cases were positive to giemsa stain.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> CL is endemic in Makhmur district. Males were infected in higher percent than females and this may be due to cultural, occupational and social factors.</p>

Clinical, parasitological and molecular profiles of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and its associated factors among clinically suspected patients attending Borumeda Hospital, North-East Ethiopia

“…This difference might be due to the presence reservoir hosts in the study area, environmental factors, climatic factors, landscape, entomological factors, and outdoor activities. On the other hand, this finding was lower than studies conducted in Ochollo, South-west Ethiopia (64.8%), Libya (43%), Yemen (74.1%), North-west Yemen (96.23%), Sri Lanka (41.5%), Erbil Iraq (70.6%), Pakistan (50.8%) and Colombia (79.1%) [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. The low prevalence in this study might be due to use of traditional drugs, applying of hot objects on the lesion and variation in environmental and behavioral factors.…”

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Prevalence and Clinical Overview: A Single Center Study from Saudi Arabia, Eastern Region, Al-Ahsa

“…This observed higher prevalence of CL infection in males aligns with a previous study conducted in the western region of Saudi Arabia with a total of 467 patients, 406 of which were males, while a markedly smaller subset consisted of only 61 female patients [ 21 ]. Similar trends were also documented in Ethiopia, which reported an overall CL prevalence of 22.4% in the population in 2019 (males, 13.7%; females, 8.8%) [ 22 ], in addition to Yemen (males, 19.3%; females, 18.40%) [ 23 ], Libya (males, 54%; male: female ration of 1.17:1) [ 24 ], and Iraq (males, 54.6%; females, 45.4%) [ 25 ]. One plausible explanation for this gender skew in the disease distribution is that women’s practice of covering their bodies with Hijab (Islamic attire) may offer protection, whereas men’s outdoor activities during nighttime increase their exposure to sandflies [ 10 , 26 ].…”

An outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis among internally displaced persons from the Nineveh governorate reported by Duhok Preventive Health Department from 2015 to 2017

“…This is expected as the disease can affect any vulnerable person, irrespective to age. 13,15,16 The cumulative data analysis indicates that November was the month when the outbreak started, and the peak was recorded in October. The incubation period of the disease is 2-4 months 1 .…”

“…Similar results have been reported in a border area between a nonendemic Garmian area/ Kurdistan region and an adjust endemic area in the central region of Iraq. 16 In a study in Erbil nearly three quarters of patients gave a history…”