文本框: HOW SIGNIFICANT IS “TRAVEL HISTORY”?! IT SAVED AN INFANT’S LIFE FROM A FATAL DISEASE (VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS = KALA-AZAR) IN A NON ENDEMIC AREA (JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA) Al-Hady E.M1 & Gaballah R2 1Directorate of Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & Professor of Pediatrics, Zagazic University, Egypt 2Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Clinical Pathology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia& Professor of Clinical Pathology, Ein Shams University, Egypt Objective: To see how proper “Travel History” taking may lead to correct diagnosis and save a child from a fatal disease. A Male Child 2 years old, Nationality is Yamani, but born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.He was brought complaining of prolonged periodic fever for 1 mo., sever pallor, cough, irritability and 2 ry inability to walk. On exam. :temp. 38˚C, sever morbidity, sever stomatitis. Clear chest. Rigid abdomin with splenomegaly. The investigations - done before - showed: C.B.C. & Diff. → evidence of pancytopenia, microcytic hypochromic anemia, no abnormal or blast cells. Normal urine & stool, E.S.R. ↑100, sickel cell was -ve, widal test - ve, ANA - ve, C.R.P. + ve, and normal Hgb. Electrophoresis. Methods: By taking proper travel history, the mother said that she traveled with her child to Yemen 1 year ago to visit her family. Bone marrow aspiration had been requested. Results: Bone Marrow showed: Moderate hypercellularity, Megakaryocytes were strikingly increased, no leukemic infiltration or other malignancies, but leishmania parasites were present within the macrophage and some were free. The child had been treated by IV. or I.M. Pentavalent antimonial compound for 15 days. The child had been saved. Now he grows well, 12 years old and without any morbidity. Conclusion: This case shows that proper travel history taking may help you in making proper diagnosis and saving a child from death. The child visited Yemen at the age of one year, where he had been bitten by the sand fly which transmits the disease. The incubation period typically lasts several weeks to 8 mo. following the sand fly bite. In this case, it was 1 yr. Knowing that Leishmaniasis is not present in Jeddah but prevalent in the southern area of Saudi Arabia & Yemen. 0705