The British journal of dermatology
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Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a common complication following kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis). In a prospective study in a village in the endemic area for kala-azar in the Sudan, 105 of 183 (57%) kala-azar patients developed PKDL. There was a significantly higher PKDL rate (69%) in those who received inadequate and irregular treatment of kala-azar than in those who were treated with stibogluconate 20 mg kg-1 daily for 15 days (35%). ⋯ Conversion rates in the LST were lower than in those who did not have demonstrable parasites (11% and 37%, respectively; P < 0.01). In the absence of reliable and practical diagnostic tests, PKDL may be diagnosed on clinical grounds and differentiated from other conditions, of which miliaria rubra was the most common. Differentiation from leprosy was most difficult.