Objective: To describe the clinical and demographic features of patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), from Sudan, Africa. Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted during 5 years period on confirmed VL patients. These patients are, originally, from White Nile Province (WNP) region, a previously non-endemic VL focus which is located in southern part of Sudan. They were referred during the period 2006-2010 for management at Tropical Diseases Hospital (TDH) in the capital Khartoum. The patients data were retrieved from the hospital electronic software system, and were studied. Results: A total of 71 patients with VL were reviewed. The main clinical features were: fever 68 (95.8%), splenomegaly 66 (93%), weight loss 61 (85.9%), pallor 59 (83.1%), hepatomegaly 52 (73.2%). The most notable haematology finding was the mean Hb value (7.6 g/dL) on admission to hospital. Gender showed males at higher risk for VL as compared to females with a ratio of 3:1 (53 vs 18). VL was largely a disease of children with 42 (59.1%) aged < 15 year, and around quarter (23.9%) under 5 years. Conclusion: The clinical features of Sudanese VL in WNP region is, generally, similar to the pattern seen globally in endemic foci. The majority of the study population are paediatric indigenous VL patients, suggesting that adults were immune, and indicating change of disease pattern from previous sporadic to present endemic. This finding emphasizes the need for research to better understand VL in non-endemic areas with the objective of developing effective and sustainable control strategies.

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Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as Kala-azar) is a systemic parasitic infection with many clinical presentations. The present study assesses the variation in presentations among patients who attended the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital (TDTH) in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted at the TDTH between November 2019 and September 2020. Medical records of patients who presented at the TDTH were reviewed using a structured data extraction checklist. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between sociodemographic and clinical presentations of patients. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 195 patients, 79.5% were male and 48.2% were <31 years old. Fever was the main clinical presentation (90.2%) while 53.3% presented with weight loss and 72.3% and 39% presented, respectively, with splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. HIV was detected in 4.6% of the patients. RK39 was the main diagnostic test. We found a significant association between the abdominal distention and the age of the patients (P < 0.05) – age groups 11–20 and 41–50 years were more likely to present with abdominal distention than other age groups. Conclusion: There is no exact clinical presentation or routine laboratory findings that are pathognomonic for visceral leishmaniasis; therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with fever, weight loss, and abdominal distention, and among patients with HIV.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic remains to have a global impact despite the great efforts in prevention. Controversy persists regarding the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 among HIV patients versus non-HIV individuals. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 among adult patients with HIV versus non-HIV in the chief isolation centre in Khartoum state, Sudan. MethodsThis is an analytical cross-sectional, comparative single-centre study conducted at the Chief Sudanese Coronavirus Isolation Centre in Khartoum from March 2020 to July 2022. Data were analysed using SPSS V.26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA). ResultsThis study included 99 participants. The overall age mean was 50±1 years old, with a male predominance of 66.7% (n=66). 9.1% (n=9) of the participants were HIV cases, 33.3% of whom were newly diagnosed. The majority, 77.8%, reported poor adherence to anti-retroviral therapy. The most common complications included acute respiratory failure (ARF) and multiple organ failure, 20.2% and 17.2%, respectively. The overall complications were higher among HIV cases than non-HIV cases; however, statistically insignificant (p>0.05 ), except for acute respiratory failure (p<0.05). 48.5% of participants were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), with slightly higher rates among HIV cases; however, this was statistically insignificant (p=0.656). Regarding the outcome, 36.4% (n=36) recovered and were discharged. Although a higher mortality rate was reported among HIV cases compared to non-HIV cases (55% vs 40%), it was statistically insignificant (p=0.238). ConclusionThe mortality and morbidity percent proportion among HIV patients with superimposed COVID-19 infection was higher than in non-HIV patients but statistically insignificant aside from ARF. Consequently, this category of patients, to a large extent, should not be considered highly susceptible to adverse outcomes when infected with COVID-19; however, ARF should be closely monitored for.