Mycetoma as a major cause of limb amputation in Northeastern Ethiopia: A facility-based retrospective study

Enbiale W, Nyaoke B, Bekele A, Mohammed KA, Bedane D. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2026,20(5): e0013886. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0013886

Summary: The authors of this manuscript reviewed medical records of patients diagnosed with mycetoma at Dubti Referral Hospital, Ethiopia, to document the contribution made by mycetoma to limb loss. Most of the 143 patients included were young men from rural pastoralist communities. Nearly all presented with advanced lower limb disease after living with symptoms for several years. Limited diagnostic services, with most cases diagnosed clinically and few receiving imaging or laboratory confirmation, resulted in many patients developing severe disability. Mycetoma accounted for almost one quarter of all limb amputations at the hospital during the study period. Improving early detection, expanding access to imaging and laboratory testing, and strengthening surgical and medical management could reduce amputations and protect the lives of patients with mycetoma.

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