Visceral leishmaniasis in a non-endemic area of India.

The study included 57 patients with visceral leishmaniasis. The average duration of symptoms was 3.8 +/- 3.55 months and pancytopenia was the commonest haematological abnormality. The parasite load directly correlated with the degree of anaemia at presentation (P=0.03). Splenic regression took 9.58 +/- 4.5 days and haematological parameters recovered in 14.5 +/- 9.07 days. There were five deaths over the five-year study duration. Leishmaniasis was not the first diagnosis in 14 patients, of whom eight were residents of non-endemic regions. Diagnosis was achieved in 13.5 days in these patients, compared to 4.5 days in patients where leishmaniasis was suspected at the outset.