TY - JOUR
T1 - Delay in schistosomiasis diagnosis and treatment
T2 - A multicenter cohort study in Italy
AU - Comelli, Agnese
AU - Riccardi, Niccolò
AU - Canetti, Diana
AU - Spinicci, Michele
AU - Cenderello, Giovanni
AU - Magro, Paola
AU - Nicolini, Laura Ambra
AU - Marchese, Valentina
AU - Zammarchi, Lorenzo
AU - Castelli, Francesco
AU - Bartoloni, Alessandro
AU - Di Biagio, Antonio
AU - Caligaris, Silvio
AU - Gaiera, Giovanni
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 International Society of Travel Medicine 2019.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/2/3
Y1 - 2020/2/3
N2 - Background: Barriers to access to care, different diagnostic strategies and low awareness remain challenging issues in the fight against schistosomiasis. Our study aims to examine management of schistosomiasis in migrants attending large tertiary hospitals in Italy, in order to call for a comprehensive approach. Methods: A retrospective review of schistosomiasis cases was carried out between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, in five large Infectious Disease Centers in Italy. We included all patients diagnosed with schistosomiasis. We differentiated among (i) asymptomatic patients diagnosed by serology either as healthy 'migrant evaluation' or as 'late evaluation' in patients followed because of a different infection and (ii) patients tested because of a suggestive clinical presentation. Patients characteristics and clinical data were recorded. Results: One hundred forty-nine patients were included, 137 (91.9%) were male, the median age was 26 years and 70% of them came from Sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-eight asymptomatic patients (25.5%) were diagnosed by serology [15, (10.1%) among 'migrant evaluation' and 23 (15.4%) among 'late evaluation' group], and 111 (74.5%) presented with signs/symptoms. The median diagnostic delay from arrival in Italy was 31 months: 110 for asymptomatic group and 16 months for symptomatic patients. Among the 111 symptomatic patients, 41 individuals were already followed in our clinics, and they never underwent screening before appearance of evident disease. Among patients with positive serology who were tested by microscopy, 32/86 (37.2%) had confirmed diagnosis. Forty-five (37.8%) patients presented radiologic abnormalities. Praziquantel was the treatment of choice (70.1% for 3 days and 29.9% in a single-day dose), and 77 (51.7%) were lost to follow-up. Conclusions: In our centers, a high proportion of patients were tested late after arrival, and most of them presented with clinical apparent disease. Well-defined strategies and implementation of recent guidelines are needed to improve early diagnosis and to overcome heterogeneity of practice.
AB - Background: Barriers to access to care, different diagnostic strategies and low awareness remain challenging issues in the fight against schistosomiasis. Our study aims to examine management of schistosomiasis in migrants attending large tertiary hospitals in Italy, in order to call for a comprehensive approach. Methods: A retrospective review of schistosomiasis cases was carried out between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, in five large Infectious Disease Centers in Italy. We included all patients diagnosed with schistosomiasis. We differentiated among (i) asymptomatic patients diagnosed by serology either as healthy 'migrant evaluation' or as 'late evaluation' in patients followed because of a different infection and (ii) patients tested because of a suggestive clinical presentation. Patients characteristics and clinical data were recorded. Results: One hundred forty-nine patients were included, 137 (91.9%) were male, the median age was 26 years and 70% of them came from Sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-eight asymptomatic patients (25.5%) were diagnosed by serology [15, (10.1%) among 'migrant evaluation' and 23 (15.4%) among 'late evaluation' group], and 111 (74.5%) presented with signs/symptoms. The median diagnostic delay from arrival in Italy was 31 months: 110 for asymptomatic group and 16 months for symptomatic patients. Among the 111 symptomatic patients, 41 individuals were already followed in our clinics, and they never underwent screening before appearance of evident disease. Among patients with positive serology who were tested by microscopy, 32/86 (37.2%) had confirmed diagnosis. Forty-five (37.8%) patients presented radiologic abnormalities. Praziquantel was the treatment of choice (70.1% for 3 days and 29.9% in a single-day dose), and 77 (51.7%) were lost to follow-up. Conclusions: In our centers, a high proportion of patients were tested late after arrival, and most of them presented with clinical apparent disease. Well-defined strategies and implementation of recent guidelines are needed to improve early diagnosis and to overcome heterogeneity of practice.
KW - barriers to access
KW - chronic schistosomiasis
KW - Migrants
KW - Missed opportunities
KW - Neglected tropical disease
KW - Praziquantel
KW - Schistosomiasis
KW - screening
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85079018614&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jtm/taz075
DO - 10.1093/jtm/taz075
M3 - Article
C2 - 31616948
AN - SCOPUS:85079018614
VL - 27
JO - Journal of Travel Medicine
JF - Journal of Travel Medicine
SN - 1195-1982
IS - 1
M1 - taz075
ER -