Liver Cirrhosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Liver Cirrhosis, including details on alcohol, treatment, drugs, effects, causes.

Liver cirrhosis: Child-Pugh grading of cases seen in Nigeria.

Ndububa DA, Ojo OS, Aladegbaiye AO, Adebayo RA, Adetiloye VA, Durosinmi MA

Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), lle-Ife, Nigeria. dennisandububa@yahoo.co.uk

Child-Pugh grading is an important determinant of treatment options, surgical interventions and prognosis in chronic liver disease. Sixty-four liver cirrhosis patients (49 men, 15 women) seen at Ile-Ife, Nigeria were graded according to the Child-Pugh parameters. Only one (1.6%) was in Class A, while 21 (32.8%) and 42 (65.6%) were in Classes B and C, respectively. Thirty-four either had coagulopathy or were already in encephalopathy at the time of presentation. Hepatitis B virus-associated disease was present in 64% of the patients. Most Nigerian cirrhosis patients present with very advanced disease; they are thus poor-risk candidates for diagnostic procedures and surgery. Efforts should be intensified at making the diagnosis at a much earlier stage and universal immunization with the hepatitis B vaccine should be commenced to reduce the incidence of HBV-related chronic liver disease in Nigeria.

Published 17 August 2005 in Trop Doct, 35(3): 169-71.
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