Title: The effects of bilharziasis in Rhodesia.

POPLINE Document Number: 051026

Author(s):

Gelfand M

Source citation:

CENTRAL AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, 1973;19:1-11.

Abstract:

Bilharziasis, a parasitic infection resulting from the deposition of snail ova, is a serious problem in Rhodesia. The severity of disease and the likelihood of complications are directly related to infection intensity. Mild infections tend to be self-limiting, while severely infected individuals can progress to hydronephrotic atrophy with renal failure. Most common in African populations is a diffuse fibrosis of the lower ureter and bladder, liver, and lung. Less frequent is massive bilharzial granuloma in the colon, vulva, and clitoris. Of concern is growing evidence linking severe infestations with malignant changes in the mucosa of the bladder; in fact, bladder cancer is the 3rd most frequently reported type of cancer in Rhodesia. Bilharziasis appears to have no effect on pregnancy or future fertility. The most common presenting symptoms are dysuria, suprapubic pain, hematuria, and acute urinary retention or incontinence. Fatigue, the most widely reported clinical symptom in Europeans with Bilharziasis, is rarely mentioned by African patients; however, African children with this infection have been shown to have impaired intellectual ability that can be improved by a 1-dose hycanthone treatment.

Keywords:

Zimbabwe
Parasitic Diseases
Treatment
Prevalence
Signs and Symptoms
Cancer
Pregnancy
Child Development
Complications
Africa, Southern
Africa South of the Sahara
Africa
Developing Countries
Diseases
Measurement
Research Methodology
Neoplasms
Reproduction
Biology