Hematologic Findings in Children With Brucellosis: Experiences of 622 Patients in Eastern Turkey

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to present the hematologic findings of 622 cases diagnosed with acute brucellosis. Medical records of children with brucellosis, admitted to Yuzuncu Yil University Hospital over a 6-year period, were analyzed retrospectively. Three hundred ninety-seven (63.8%) patients were male and 225 (36.2%) were female. The mean age was 11 years (range, 1 to 16 y). The mean hematologic values were as follows: hemoglobin 9.4 (3.4 to 17) g/dL, hematocrite 28% (12% to 50%), leukopenia 2.8 (1.1 to 33)×10/L, leukocytosis 13.7 (1.1 to 33)×10/L, and platelets 79 (3 to 972)×10/L. An overall 28.6% of patients were found to have anemia, alone or in combination with leukopenia or thrombocytopenia. Sixteen percent of patients had thrombocytopenia, 13.9% had leukopenia, 7.7% had pancytopenia, and 4% had both leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Hematologic complications such as anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia are more frequently seen in acute brucellosis cases. However, acute brucellosis should also be considered in the differential diagnosis in the presence of other hematologic abnormalities such as severe thrombocytopenia, bicytopenia, and pancytopenia.

Is the Level of Knowledge on Brucellosis Sufficient in the Highly Endemic Region?

“…The seroprevalence of brucellosis in the countryside in Van province has been reported as 27.2%, and it is one of the provinces with the highest seroprevalence rate in our country (3,4). Being a multisystemic disease, it can lead to various clinical pictures and progress with severe hematologic, cardiac and neurologic complications (5)(6)(7). Protection from brucellosis is an important matter in terms of public health since it is still endemic in our country, can cause serious complications and even be fatal.…”

A rare complication of brucella in adolescence: Epididymoorchitis

“…Brucellosis may present with a wide range of non-specific symptoms and clinical findings that are easily confused with many other diseases (11). Genitourinary system involvement may develop in 2-20% of patients with brucella infection; clinically, prostatitis, epididymo-orchitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, exudative glomerulonephritis and renal abscesses may occur (12).…”

Severe Thrombocytopenic Purpura in a Child with Brucellosis: Case Presentation and Review of the Literature

“…Thrombocytopenia is one of the hematological manifestations of brucellosis in children with a variable percentage of 5–40% in several studies [1–3, 5, 6]. The pathogenic pathways of Brucella -related thrombocytopenia have not been fully elucidated, with hypersplenism, hemophagocytosis, bone marrow suppression, and antiplatelet antibodies production being the most possible mechanisms.…”

“…In a most recent study with large numbers of patients from Eastern Turkey, Karaman et al presented the hematological findings of 622 children with brucellosis over a 6-year period. Isolated severe thrombocytopenia was found in 16 patients (2.5%), which resolved with antibiotics or IVIG [5]. …”