Saleem Iqbal, Ruknuddin.
Liver Cirrhosis in North-West Frontier province of Pakistan.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;12(5):289-91.

Objective: To find out aetiological factors and presentation of patients with liver cirrhosis in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. Design: An observational study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in medical unit of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from 1st February 1998 to 30th November 1999. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 patients, more than 13 years of age, consecutively admitted in medical unit were included in the study. All the patients were investigated for aetiological factors and complications of cirrhosis. Liver histology was also performed in all the patients besides routine investigations. Results: Seventy-one percent patients were under 40 years of age and 65% of them were males. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) was the commonest underlying cause accounting for 41%, followed by Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) responsible for 30% of the cases. Alcohol was responsible for 4%. One patient had primary haemochromatosis and another had Wilson s disease. In 23 patients, no cause could be ascertained. Sixty percent patients presented with non- specific symptoms, 16% with hepatic precoma and only 4% with haematemesis and/or malena. Conclusion: HCV is the leading cause of cirrhosis followed by HBV in NWFP population and majority of patients presented with complications of cirrhosis.

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