Endemic brucellar epididymo-orchitis: a 10-year experience.

Autor: Papatsoris AG; Department of Urology, St Andrews Patras Regional Hospital, Greece. agpapatsoris@hotmail.com, Mpadra FA, Karamouzis MV, Frangides CY
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases [Int J Infect Dis] 2002 Dec; Vol. 6 (4), pp. 309-13.
DOI: 10.1016/s1201-9712(02)90166-9
Abstrakt: Objective: To present epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory features, treatment and outcome of patients suffering from Brucella melitensis-induced epididymo-orchitis, in comparison with cases of nonspecific epididymo-orchitis. Distinction between these two entities is essential, as treatment and outcome are entirely different.
Methods: In this retrospective study, records of 17 patients serologically diagnosed as suffering from B. melitensis epididymo-orchitis were reviewed in comparison with 141 cases of non-Brucella epididymo-orchitis. All patients presented consecutively at a tertiary hospital in southwestern Greece, from 1991 to 2000. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test.
Results: B. melitensis epididymo-orchitis differed from nonspecific epididymo-orchitis, due to its high occupational risk, seasonal pattern, gradual onset (P<0.01), longer duration, typical undulatory fever (P<0.05), absence of serious leukocytosis (P<0.05) and lower urinary tract symptoms, and relatively minimal local signs of florid inflammation (P<0.01). Oral medication with doxycycline and rifampicin for 6 weeks was effective, and no relapses or serious side effects were recorded during the follow-up period.
Conclusions: B. melitensis-induced epididymo-orchitis is a recognized clinical problem in endemic regions, requiring early detection and appropriate medication. Clinicians encountering epididymo-orchitis should consider the likelihood of brucellosis and initiate anti-Brucella medication upon clinical diagnosis and not only after serologic confirmation.
Databáze: MEDLINE