Evaluation of Epidemiological, Clinical, and Laboratory Characteristics of Brucellosis Patients Followed the Children Infectious Diseases Policyclinic as Retrospective

INTRODUCTION: In our study, it was aimed to assess clinical and epidemiological features, laboratory findings, applied treatments, and complications of patients who were referred retrospectively to Konya Training and Research Hospital Pediatric’s Infectious Disease Clinic.
METHODS: This study was conducted on 50 patients diagnosed with brucellosis who applied to the Pediatric Infectious Diseases outpatient clinic between December 2014 and July 2016.
RESULTS: In our study, 46% of the patients were female and 54% were male, and the median age was 10.3±3.2 years (min: 5-max: 18 years). It was observed that patients were referred most frequently in the spring and summer seasons. Eighty percent of the patients had a history of eating raw milk cheese, and 52% had an animal contact history. Brucellosis history in the family environment and immediate surroundings was found in 44% of the patients. According to frequency order, referral complaints of our patients were 70% arthralgia, 64% fatigue, 60% anorexia, and 50% fever. Arthralgia was the most common physical examination finding (40%). Serum agglutination titer at the rate of 88%, serum immunocapture test at the rate of 96%, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the rate of %88 were found positive, and the agent culture rate of blood culture, which was taken from 34% of the patients, was found to be 35%. As complications, patients were monitored by the reason of 8% pancytopenia, 8% hepatitis, and 12% osteoarticular involvement. At the follow-up between 7 and 14 days of treatment, serum immunocapture agglutination titers decreased. There were no patients in whom drug side effects, abnormality of laboratory findings, or relapse were observed.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Brusellosis, which is endemic for our country, should be considered in patients with fever, arthralgia/arthritis, and hepatosplenomegaly; family history, occupation with stock farming, raw milk, and milk product consumption should be questioned; and tests for this disease should be wanted.