To summarize the clinical characteristics of 23 cases of children with kala-azar, so as to raise the awareness of clinical physicians to children with kala-azar.

A total of 23 children with kala-azar from March 2005 to April 2017 in West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, were selected as study subjects. The clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, treatments and prognosis of 23 cases were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical characteristics of children with kala-azar were summarized. For the incidences of fever, cough, anemia and other clinical manifestations were expressed by rate (%).

①Among 23 cases of children with kala-azar, the main onset age was 2 to 3 years old, accounted for 56.5% (13/23). The children were mainly distributed in Jiuzhaigou County and Heishui County of Sichuan Province, accounted for 39.1% (9/23). The onset time of kala-azar was scattered throughout the whole year. ②The main clinical symptoms of 23 children with kala-azar were as follows in turn: fever accounted for 100.0% (23/23), cough accounted for 73.9% (17/23), and lack of strength accounted for 65.2% (15/23). The main physical signs of 23 children with kala-azar were as follows in turn: anemia appearance accounted for 69.6% (16/23), splenomegaly accounted for 60.9% (14/23), and lymph node enlargement accounted for 52.2% (12/23). ③Main laboratory test results of 23 children with kala-azar were as follows: pancytopenia accounted for 85.7% (18/23), abnormal liver function accounted for 30.4% (7/23), blood coagulation dysfunction accounted for 8.7% (2/23), lit-duchenne body founded in bone marrow smear accounted for 90.9% (20/22), and rk39 immunochromatographic strip test showed positive accounted for 80.0%(16/20). ④The main treatment of 23 children with kala-azar was antimony intramuscular injection or intravenously guttae, and all 18 children treated in our hospital were healed and discharged from hospital without recurrence.

For children with fever, anemia and hepatosplenomegaly, early perfection of bone marrow biopsy smears and serum antibody examination are keys to reduce the missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of children with kala-azar. And standardized treatment is beneficial to improve the prognosis of children with kala-azar.