Cerebral mansoni schistosomiasis: a systematic review of 33 cases published from 1989 to 2019

Abstract

Abstract Background We investigated the epidemiology, clinical presentation and outcomes of individuals affected by cerebral schistosomiasis. Methods This systematic review was planned in accordance with current guidelines for performing comprehensive systematic reviews and meta-analysis, including the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline. Results Most of patients presented with seizures (48.5%), which is a non-specific symptom despite its high prevalence. There was no specific clinical manifestation that could help the diagnosis, which was made in 69.7% by histopathological analysis of brain tissue. Conclusions Seizures are a non-specific symptom to diagnose patients with cerebral schistosomiasis and accurate clinical indicators need to be derived through further studies.