THE ASSESSMENT OF CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES OF LEISHMANIASIS IN ARBAMINCH GENERAL HOSPITAL: TWO YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background of the study: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by obligate intracellular protozoans of the genus Leishmania. The most common species of leishmania are Leishmania donovani and L. infantum or L. chagasi. Statement of the problem: Leishmaniasis is very rampant infectious disease in Arbaminch hospital where it appears to have a separate ward as other major medical disciplines. Significance of the study: The information obtained from this research will provide a tangible evidence and baseline on the prevalence and clinical spectrums of leishmaniasis on the region and management outcomes and associated factors affecting the management. Objectives- General objectives are to assess clinical types of leishmaniasis and treatment outcomes of patients who were treated for leishmaniasis between the years 2014 and 2015G.C in Arbaminch Hospital. Specific objectives are to assess the clinical characteristics of leishmaniasis and to assess the treatment outcomes of leishmaniasis in Arbaminch general hospital. Research methodology Study area- Arba Minch is a city and separate Woredas in southern Ethiopia. The study was conducted on from February to June 2017 G.C. The study is a Hospital based retrospective cross sectional study. Data was collected from hospital records from February to June 2017 G.C. Result- All the patient records are records that are collected between 2014 and 2015 G.C. In this period, around 257 cases of leishmaniasis were seen and out these 190 were admitted with an assessment of VL, 46 of them were CL and 21 of them were MCL. 158(68.7%) were men and 72(31.3%) of them are women. 68.7% of patients are from SNNPR and 31.3% are from oromia region. all patients came from 11 zones, of which 2 (Guji and Bale) of them are from oromia and the rest are from SNNPR. Conclusion and recommendation- All patients with visceral leishmaniasis had their follow up with subsequent splenic aspirations. Patients have proper admission and discharge history with their address. All medical complications and other diagnosis were properly documented in their charts and it was easy to track patient records. One thing I would like to recommend is that, since we mapped out hot spots of leishmaniasis in region, the regional health bureau has to assign health workers and specially trained professionals in these places. Since the disease is still there, it needs active surveillance which has to be supported and guided by federal ministry of health