new method of staging bilharzial liver disease based on clinical, histochemical and 8-glutamyl transferase activity

ABSTRACT

The histochemical enzymatic activity in liver biopsies and gamma - glutamyl transferase activity were studied in 10 normal and 20 bilharzial cases. The hepatic tissue alkaline phosphatases were found to be slightly affected in the hepatocytes in the first and second stages of bilharzial liver fibrosis, while the sinusoidal reaction was augmented, but in the third and fourth stages, the activity was markedly diminished at both sites. The gamma -glutamyl transferase activity increased steeply with the progress of the disease. Upon clinical, biochemical, histochemical and gamma -glutamyl transferase changes a new more elaborate staging of the disease is suggested