Urinary schistosomiasis in Maiduguri, north east Nigeria

Abstract

From January to December 1983, 12 207 specimens of urine were examined for ova of Schistosoma haematobium and 753 (6·17%) were positive. From this group, 44 adult patients were investigated for urinary tract abnormalities. Haematuria was the commonest presenting symptom (81·8%) followed by lower abdominal pain (77·3%) and dysuria (68·2%). Urinalysis revealed proteinuria in 55·5%, leucocyturia in 90·9% and microhaematuria in 88·6% of patients. Twenty-four hour protein excretion ranged from 230 mg to 2·2 g (mean 960 mg). Serum creatinine was raised in one patient (2·2 mg dl⁻¹1), Urological abnormalities included calcification of the bladder in 36·4%, ureteric strictures and dilatations in 65·9%, hydronephrosis in 9·1 %, squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder in 4·5%, vesicle calculus in 2·3%, and multiple granulomatas in the bladder in 2·3% of the patients. The results of the study suggest that a sizeable population of this area is at risk of developing urological complications and consequently chronic renal insufficiency.