[Sciatica after return from Mali: case report of schistosomal myelopathy]
P Poirier1, P Brugières, M Liance
1Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, CHU Gabriel Montpied, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Introduction:
In spite of the high prevalence of schistosomiasis in Mali, few cases involving neurological complications have been described. The purpose of this report is to present a case associated medullary complications.
Case Report:
A 29-year-old man was hospitalized for low back pain and difficulty in walking linked to dysesthesia. Five months earlier the patient had been trreated for schistosomiasis contracted during a trip to Dogon region of Mali. Based on radiological and laboratory findings and previous clinical history, the difinitive diagnosis was schistosomal myelopathy.
Discussion/Conclusion:
Neuroschistosomiasis is a rare but serious complication of the schistosomiasis that can only be made after complete parasite identification and careful differential diagnosis. Treatment with antiparasitic agents in association with corticosteroids is mandatory but must only be initiated in state stage of the parasitic infection, i.e., after maturation of larvae into adults.
