AURICULAR CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS: A RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF 12 PATIENTS
1Şanlıurfa Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Deri ve Zührevi Hastalıkları Kliniği, Şanlıurfa, Turkey Aim: Leishmaniasis refers to a group of diseases caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions are typically observed as single or multiple lesions, particularly in the head-neck region. Auricular involvement in CL is extremely rare. The aim of this study is to examine the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment methods of 12 patients diagnosed with auricular CL.Material and methods: In this retrospective study, the files of 12 patients diagnosed with CL through clinical and microscopic examination, and presenting with auricular involvement, were reviewed at our Dermatology and Venereology clinic between October 2019 and October 2022. Clinical and demographic features such as age, gender, number, localization, size, and duration of lesion, and treatments received were recorded from the patients' files.
Results: All patients diagnosed with CL were male (100%). The mean age of patients was 15.41±14.94. All patients presented with involvement of a single ear. Helix involvement was observed in 6 (50%) patients, antihelix in 4 (33%) patients, and lobule in 2 (17%) patients. The average duration of lesions was 4.6±2.8 months. The average size of the lesions was 3.4±2.3 cm. Cutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosis was made by direct microscopic examination in all patients, and all were treated with meglumine antimoniate (MA) at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day for 20 days intramuscularly. No cutaneous or systemic side effects related to MA treatment were observed in any patients.
Conclusion: The possibility of auricular involvement in CL should be kept in mind, and the diagnosis should be confirmed by microscopic examination. Systemic MA treatment should be considered in patients with auricular region involvement.
Keywords : Auricle, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, meglumine antimoniate, smear