CLINICAL ASPECTS OF HEPATOSPLENIC SCHISTOSOMIASIS - CONTRAST WITH CIRRHOSIS

  • 1 January 1975
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 48  (5) , 369-376
Abstract
The clinical picture of liver disease in endemic areas of Schistosomiasis mansoni differs in many ways from that observed in alcoholic and other types of cirrhosis. In hepatosplenic schistosomiasis there is predominance of the clinical manifestations of portal and portal hypertension, e.g., bleeding esophageal varices, while ascites, jaundice, and hepatic precoma or coma are much less common. Ammonia tolerance is usually normal and helps explain the low mortality rate during bleeding. A high incidence of persistent hepatitis B surface antigenemia is observed among patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, suggesting increased susceptibility of such patients to the development of virus-induced chronic active hepatitis.