Diagnostic Value Of Turbid Urine In Urogenital Schistosomiasis In Rural Chad Affected By Climate Change Effects: Case Of The Lake Chad Region
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Introduction
Urogenital schistosomiasis remains a public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Diagnosis traditionally relies on detecting eggs in urine or identifying haematuria. The clinical relevance of urine turbidity remains poorly studied.
Objective
To assess the relevance of the macroscopic appearance of urine, particularly turbidity, as a presumptive indicator of urogenital schistosomiasis.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 299 participants in Ngouri, Chad. Urine appearance was visually assessed and compared with urine dipstick results for haematuria detection.
Results
Cloudy urine was observed in 20.4% of samples. Among these, 95.1% tested positive on the dipstick, compared to only 16.9% of samples with normal appearance (p < 0.001). Cloudy urine thus appears to be a strong predictive marker.
Conclusion
In low-resource settings, visual urine assessment combined with symptom analysis can help guide screening and support presumptive treatment. However, the lack of parasitological confirmation remains a significant limitation.
