A clinical study of brucellosis in adults in the Asir region of southern Saudi Arabia.

One hundred four Saudi patients with brucellosis who were admitted to Abha General Hospital in the Asir region of southern Saudi Arabia were studied. All the patients had Brucella melitensis infection; 61.5% were females while 38.5% were males. Their mean age was 32 years. Most of the patients (61.5%) lived in the lowland (Tihama) and the majority were shepherds (84.6%). The most common presenting symptoms were fever (100%), sweating (96.2%), headache (76.9%), joint pains (76.9%), and backache (73.1%). Physical findings included fever (96.2%), hepatomegaly (46.2%), splenomegaly (42.3%), tenderness over the spine (30.8%), arthritis (26.9%), and lymphadenopathy (19.2%). Mild anemia, leukopenia, and relative lymphocytosis were common. A history of raw milk ingestion was an important factor in disease transmission (84.6%), followed by close animal contact (73%) and raw liver consumption (63.3%). The study shows the effectiveness of several drug combinations in the treatment of brucellosis and the low relapse rate if the treatment is prolonged for not less than six weeks.