Liver function tests in cases of amoebic liver abscess: a prospective study

ABSTRACT

To find out correlation between alterations in liver function tests and the severity of disease in amoebic liver abscess. Design: Prospective study of 65 culture negative cases of amoebic liver abscess Jul. 1992 to Oct. 1994. Settings Department of Medicine, Medical Unit-I, Civil Hospital, Karachi. Subjects: Sixty five culture negative cases of amoebic liver abscess. Main outcome measures: Assessment of liver function tests in amoebic liver abscess to establish their importance in determining the severity of disease. Liver function tests were done in all cases on admission and after follow-up at two and six weeks. Serum bilirubin was found to be raised in 24.6% of the cases and showed a higher rise in large and multiple abscesses and in patients with increasing age. Transaminase was eleved in 37.9% of cases while alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyl transferase was raised in 78.5% and 82.5% of the cases respectively. Server alteration in laboratory parameters at admission in patients with amoebic liver abscess suggests more severe disease