Cases of hydatidosis in patients referred to Governmental hospitals for cyst removal in Sana’a City, Republic of Yemen

ABSTRACT

Abstract. Hydatidosis is a parasitic infestation caused by Echinococus granulosus. This disease is endemic in many countries including Yemen. The present review article aims to have a glimpse at the present status of hydatidosis in Yemen. This is the first descriptive study, investigating recorded cases of hydatidosis from the five main governmental hospitals in the capital Sana’a city, over a longer period starting from 2001 and ending in 2008. A total of 796 medical records of patients referred to the five main governmental hospitals in Sana’a city for cyst removal, were studied. Of these cases 482 were females and 314 were males. Their mean age was 30.0 ± 16.9 years. Information regarding the location of the cyst in the body, age, sex and residence of each patient was recorded. A higher infection rate was found in females than males (60.6% and 39.4%, respectively). Single organ involvement was observed in 98.6% cases, among which, the most frequent localizations were the liver (60.8%) followed by the lung (24.7%). Cases of hydatidosis appeared to increase during the period 2001-2008, with the lowest number (n=26) and the highest number (n=140) recorded in 2001 and 2007, respectively. We conclude that the risk of hydatidosis is still high in Yemen, where street or stray dogs move freely down town and the population should be aware about the role of dogs in the transmission of this disease. Hospital records provide a useful indication of infection expressed as annual rate of hospital cases. Finally, the collaboration of Public Health Authorities, the Veterinary Medical Authorities and the Environmental Affairs Authorities is a must to control this disease.