Testicular infection in brucellosis: Report of 34 cases
Mile Bosilkovski, Viktor Kamiloski, Silvana Miskova, Danco Balalovski, Vesna Kotevska, Mile Petrovski
Corresponding author:
Mile Bosilkovski, Corresponding author. ul “Bozidar Adzija” br. 18/1-6, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia.
Background and purpose:
To present clinical and laboratory features, treatment options, and outcome in patients with brucellar testicular infection and to compare them with analogous in brucellar patients without testicular involvement.
Methods:
To present clinical and laboratory features, treatment options, and outcome in patients with brucellar testicular infection and to compare them with analogous in brucellar patients without testicular involvement.
Results:
Brucellar testicular infection was evident in 34 (8.5%) out of 398 male patients with brucellosis. The median age of the patients was 46.5 years. In all patients testicular involvement was presented as an acute form with a median duration of 5 days (range, 2–14 days) prior to diagnosis. Twenty-three of the patients had at least one other simultaneous focal infection. After starting with the treatment testicular infection lasted a median 10 days, range 7–21 days. Brucellar patients with testicular infection when compared with other brucellar patients more frequently manifested fever (97% vs. 61%), concomitant spondylitis (32% vs. 16%), and urinary system involvement (12% vs. 2%). Also, the relapse rate in patients with testicular involvement was significantly higher (24% vs. 9%).
Conclusion:
In endemic regions brucellosis should be taken into consideration in any patient with testicular infection. Brucellar testicular involvement is usually characterized with a severe acute clinical presentation and a high percentage of relapses which entails the need of timely recognition and proper treatment duration of at least 60 days.
Key words:
brucellosis, epididymitis, orchitis, relapse, treatment
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