Etiology of liver cirrhosis in Mexico.
BACKGROUND
In the last decades it has been suggested that the main cause of liver cirrhosis in Mexico is alcohol. Currently in Western countries hepatitis C virus stage liver disease and liver transplantation. In Mexico, we have no data relative to the etiology of liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the main causes of liver cirrhosis in Mexico.


METHODS
Eight hospitals located in different areas of the country were invited to participate in this study. Those hospitals provide health care to different social classes of the country. The inclusion criteria were the presence of either an histological or a clinical and biochemical diagnosis of liver cirrhosis.


RESULTS
A total 1,486 cases were included in this study. The etiology of liver cirrhosis was alcohol in 587 (39.5%), HCV 544 (36.6%), cryptogenic 154 (10.4%), PBC 84 (5.7%), HBV 75 (5.0%) and other 42 (2.8%). There was no statistical difference between alcohol and HCV.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the main causes of liver cirrhosis in Mexico are alcohol and HCV.
Méndez-Sánchez
Nahum
N
Department of Biomedical Research, Medica Sur Clinic and Foundation, Col. Toriello Guerra, Mexico City, Mexico. nmendez@medicasur.org.mx
Aguilar-Ramírez
Juan R
JR
Reyes
Angel
A
Dehesa
Margarita
M
Juórez
Alberto
A
Castñeda
Beatriz
B
Sánchez-Avila
Francisco
F
Poo
Jorge L
JL
Guevara González
Luis
L
Lizardi
Javier
J
Valdovinos
Miguel A
MA
Uribe
Misael
M
Contreras
Ana M
AM
Tirado
Patricia
P
Aguirre
Jesús
J
Rivera-Benítez
Cesar
C
Santiago-Santiago
Ramón
R
Bosques-Padilla
Francisco
F
Muñoz
Linda
L
Guerroro
Arnoldo
A
Ramos
Mayra
M
Rodríguez-Hernández
Heriberto
H
Jacobo-Karam
Jannett
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies