Cirrhosis of the liver in Rhodesian Blacks.
Thirty-five Black patients with cirrhosis of the liver were admitted to the professorial unit over a 1-year period and were included in a carefully planned prospective study. Men predominated over women in a ratio of 3:1. Alcohol consumption in the form of African beer was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients than in a control population. The clinical picture was neither predominantly that of alcoholic nor of cryptogenic cirrhosis. Hepatomegaly, porphyria cutanea tarda, ascites, splenomegaly and oesophageal varices were common. There was a complete absence of gynaecomastia, spider naevi and liver palms. Histologically, the majority of patients had macronodular cirrhosis, and only 1 patient had micronodular cirrhosis and minimal fatty change. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) was not detected in any patient, despite a positive HbAg rate of 4% in Black African blood donors, determined by means of the same laboratory technique.
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015030:Zimbabwe