Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Minor role of hepatitis b virus in the causation of chronic liver disease in somalia indicated by a case-control study
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 85, No. 1, Year 1991
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Chronic liver disease (CLD) is frequent in Somalia. In a case-control study, 116 in-patients with CLD were compared with the same number of age and sex matched controls. Demographic variables, use of drugs, symptoms and signs, serological markers for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and serum α-foetoprotein (AFP) were assessed. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in 44 cases of which 17 had antibodies to hepatitis D virus (anti-HD) and 7 had hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). Twenty-three controls were HBsAg-positive, of whom 3 had anti-HD and one HBeAg. Increased relative risks (95% confidence intervals in parentheses) were 2.5 (1'3-4’5) for HBsAg, 6.5 (1.7-21.5) for anti-HD, and 7.4 (0.966–5) for HBeAg. Despite the association between the presence of HBV markers and CLD, 62% of the cases had no markers indicating current HBV infection. This was reflected in the low risk attributable to chronic HBV infection (22.6%), which was lower than that in patients with CLD in other African populations with a high HBsAg carrier rate. The prevalence of HBV markers did not differ between cases with AFP>100 ng/ml and those with AFP<100 ng/ml. The former were characterized by male predominance, shorter duration of symptoms, and larger mean liver size, indicative of malignancy. The mean age of HBsAg-positive cases with AFP>100 ng/ml was significantly lower (by 7.7 years) than that of HBsAg-negative cases with AFP>100 ng/ml. Among the CLD patients with AFP<100 ng/ml, 48 were HBsAg-negative. These cases differed significantly from the other 68 cases in that more were females (35% against 16%), more originated from an agricultural area (56% against 30%), and more were regular consumers of drugs (48% against 28%). In conclusion, factors as yet undefined play a considerable role in the causation of CLD in Somalia. The possibility of determining the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) awaits the development of more specific assays for anti-HCV antibodies. © 1991 OUP.
Authors & Co-Authors
Bile, Khalif Mohamud
Somalia
University of Mogadishu
Abdirahman, Mohamed
Somalia
University of Mogadishu
Aden, Cadigia
Somalia
University of Mogadishu
Norder, Heléne
Sweden, Stockholm
National Bacteriological Laboratory Stockholm
Magnius, Lars O.
Sweden, Stockholm
National Bacteriological Laboratory Stockholm
Lindberg, Greger
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset
Nilsson, Lars
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset
Statistics
Citations: 10
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/0035-9203(91)90177-Z
ISSN:
00359203
e-ISSN:
18783503
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Case-Control Study
Study Locations
Somalia
Participants Gender
Male
Female