Study on some hepatic functions and prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenemia in Egyptian children with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis

ABSTRACT

Different parenchymal hepatic lesions including chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis have been increasingly reported in children with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis [SHF] despite the known mesenchymal nature of the disease. The prevalence of persistent hepatitis [B] surface [HBs] antigenemia and some hepatic functions have been determined in 52 children with SHF as well as in 100 age matched healthy children. High prevalence of chronic HBs antigenemia [58%] has been demonstrated in children with SHF but only in 2% of the normal children. This denotes that children with SHF represent a dangerous reservoir for hepatitis B infection to the community. Serum alanine transferase [ALT] was higher than normal in 58% of HBs seropositive patients and in none of the seronegative patients. This points to the risk of continual hepatic parenchymal injury to the HBs seropositive patients with Schistosomiasis