Schistosoma haematobium infection in children in Britain

An unusual cause of terminal hematuria in a child: Eosinophilic cystitis

Eosinophilic cystitis is a rare inflammatory disease of the bladder; it rarely occurs in children. Patients typically show irritative urination symptoms frequently, with a possible need for urgency, alongside dysuria, gross haematuria, suprapubic pain and painful urination. Sometimes bladder mass accumulation with the possibility of malignancy is also observed. We present an 8-year-old male patient who gained admission for terminal hematuria and discuss the management of eosinophilic cystitis.

Urinary schistosomiasis in children in the United Kingdom

We report on two patients with urinary schistosomiasis, who both presented within a fortnight to our hospital with similar symptoms of persistent painless haematuria. Ultrasound, cystoscopic biopsies and histology were used to confirm diagnosis. Treatment with praziquantel was given. Symptoms of urinary schistosomiasis can easily be missed in non-endemic areas and possibly confused with a more sinister pathology. A thorough history and awareness of disease can avoid interventional investigations.

A rare case of hematuria

ABSTRACT The infestation by Schistosoma haematobium is common in African countries and West Asia. Its chronic phase is characterized by the deposition of eggs of the parasite in various tissues of the body causing inflammatory response, formation of granulomas and fibrosis. The disease often affects the urinary tract, presenting with hematuria and, in the terminal stage, renal failure by urinary obstruction and bladder squamous neoplasia. Since chronic infection can lead to significant morbidity, it is imperative that the physicians who serve this immigrant population become familiar with this disease. A case of an immigrant boy from Guinea-Bissau seen in a Nephrology appointment for monosymptomatic terminal hematuria is presented. The diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis was confirmed by parasitological examination of urine and the pathological examination of bladder biopsies. After therapy with praziquantel, the patient became asymptomatic.

[Tumorlike form of bladder schistosomiasis in children]

Two tumorlike forms of urinary schistosomiasis are reported. Diagnosis was suspected as the patients exerted haematuria while they originated from a geographic area where schistosomiasis is endemic. Terminal urine samples were positive for Schistosoma haematobium. Cystoscopy revealed an hemorrhagic granulomatous polyp in one case and villous polyps in the other case, associated with suggestive lesions of schistosomiasis. Schistosoma haematobium infection in children is uncommon in Europe and rarely considered in the diagnosis of haematuria.