Urogenital complications among girls with genital mutilation: a hospital-based study in Khartoum.

To explore paediatric complications of female genital mutilation (FGM), 255 consecutive girls aged 4-9 years presenting to an emergency ward in Sudan were included in this clinical study. Full examination, including inspection of genitalia, was performed. Dipsticks for nitrite and leucocytes were used to diagnose suspected urinary tract infection (UTI). Girls with a form of FGM narrowing vulva had significantly more UTI than others, and among girls below the age of seven there was a significant association between FGM and UTI. Only 8% of girls diagnosed as having UTI reported urogenital symptoms. In spite of the fact that 73% of the girls subjected to FGM were reported to have been bedridden for one week or more after the operation, only 10% stated immediate complications. We conclude that FGM contributes significantly to morbidity among girls, a large share of which does not come to medical attention.