Visceral leishmaniasis in infancy and childhood epidemiology and clinicopathological study of 63 cases in Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia.

The epidemiology, clinicopathological features, and response to therapy of 63 Saudi patients with visceral leishmaniasis are described. The clinical features in our cases were similar to those described from Asir province, India, and Ethiopia, except for the presence of lymphadenopathy. Fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, and liver dysfunction were common findings. The unusual feature is the seasonal variation in the distribution of the disease. The response to sodium stibogluconate was excellent and the mortality rate was low (less than 1 per cent).