Alcoholic foamy degeneration in Spain. Prevalence and clinico-pathological features.
Among 389 consecutive chronic alcoholics in whom a liver biopsy was performed for diagnostic purposes, nine patients (2.3%) had histological changes of "alcoholic foamy degeneration" (AFD), characterized by numerous small fat droplets in the swollen hepatocytes of the centrilobular area. In five cases, there were non-specific clinical features, while the other four cases presented acute hepatic decompensation with jaundice and a reduced prothrombin activity. Seven patients had high serum lipid concentrations including hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, which improved after withdrawal of alcohol intake. In conclusion, AFD has a broad clinicopathological spectrum including asymptomatic patients and other cases with severe liver decompensation manifested by jaundice and reduced prothrombin activity. AFD is usually associated with hyperlipemia.
Montull
S
S
Liver Unit, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Parés
A
A
Bruguera
M
M
Caballería
J
J
Uchida
T
T
Rodés
J
J
D000328:Adult; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000209:etiology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D013030:Spain