Accuracy of Serological Testing for the Diagnosis of Prevalent Neurocysticercosis in Outpatients with Epilepsy, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Epilepsy is a significant contributor to morbidity world-wide in persons of all ages. Little is known, however, about its causes. In the developing world, parasitic infections of the brain, in particular Taenia solium neurocysticercosis (NCC) are thought to be important factors. Determining whether or not there is infection in the brain is difficult since to be certain, specialized imaging studies, such as CT scans, are required. These are expensive and not widely available. In addition, they are not appropriate for use in large, population-based studies. Thus, blood tests for evidence of infection with T. solium are often done instead to estimate the presence of NCC. In this study's population of persons with epilepsy being seen at a hospital out-patient clinic in South Africa, 37% had CT evidence of NCC, a percentage similar to that reported in other developing countries. The study also found that blood tests were not generally useful compared to CT for correctly identifying those persons who did or did not have NCC, and thus, they cannot be relied upon for field studies of NCC

Neurocysticercosis. Case report.

A female patient (15 years), from Eastern Cape, South Africa, was admitted in the hospital on July 13th, 2007 with general tonic-clonic convulsions. There was not history of epilepsy or fever convulsions and the patient denied alcohol, cigar or drugs consumption. The physical examination showed postictal confusion, without neurological deficit, neck rigidity or peripheral edema. Computer axial tomography was definitive for neurocysticercosis disgnosis. Since it is a serious health problem for the area the patient lives in, we decided to publish the case

Chickenpox pneumonia. Case presentation. Dora Ngiza hospital, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Chickenpox is an exanthematic highly infectious disease produced by the Varicella zoster virus (VZV), commonly occurs in childhood, 90% of cases occurred in children under 12 years of age, 10% of the population over 15 years is susceptible to suffer it. It is an airborne illness, the inhale virus cause an infection in the initial respiratory epithelium, the virus spreads to distant cells of the reticuloendothelial system, finally, there is a state of viremia with skin lesions, although the spread can also be extended to the viscera. The deterioration of the cell-mediated immunity caused by coexisting diseases, HIV infection, cancer, hemato-oncology illnesses, steroid use, as well as advanced age, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hemorrhagic nature of the Skin lesions, are risk factors for developing Varicella-Zoster pneumonia. In this article we describe a case of chickenpox in a young HIV positive patient complicated with Varicella-Zoster pneumonia. Despite of the treatment with acyclovir, prednisone and supportive measures had a fatal outcome

Kaposi´s sarcoma, epidemic type. Case presentation

Before the AIDS epidemic, Kaposi's sarcoma was found mainly in elderly men of Mediterranean coast, eastern European background and Jewish ancestry (rarely in older women) and is a slow growing skin tumor. In AIDS patients, the KS tends to develop more rapidly compromising the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and other organs. In people with AIDS, Kaposi's sarcoma is caused by an interaction between HIV, a weakened immune system and human herpes virus 8. It affects approximately 20% of people with HIV that don’t take antiretroviral drugs. It is more common in homosexual’s patients, but may appear in any HIV positive individual, in Africa where heterosexual HIV transmission route is the most important can also be found in children and women. We are presenting a case of Kaposi sarcoma in a young female admitted at the Internal Medicine Department of Dora Nginza Hospital