Amoebic liver abscess: A 20-year retrospective analysis at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Amoebic liver abscess is the most common manifestation of extra-intestinal amebiasis. Although a high prevalence of intestinal amebiasis is reported in Ethiopia, information about the prevalence of confirmed amebic liver abscess is very scanty. Our previous study using the molecular technique proved that there is a considerable over diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis by using microscopy alone, while cases of truly invasive Entamoeba histolytica appear to be very rare. Objective: To assess the occurrence of amebic liver abscess among admitted patients at Tikur Anbessa Hospital. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted from clinical records of patients who were admitted to the medical wards of Tikur Anbessa Hospital, on suspeced cases of liver abscess over a 20 year period, from 1982 to 2002. Results: Only 47 suspected liver abscess cases; (2 suspected liver abscess per 5854 patients per year) were admitted and treated in Tikur Anbessa Hospital in the past 20 years. Liver abscess appears to be rare among patients admitted in the hospital. The most frequent diagnosis of liver abscess was of amebic origin 35(74 %). Conclusion: The total number of hepatic amebic liver abscess is extremely low considering the high number of reported intestinal amebiasis cases by microscopy in routine laboratory diagnosis, suggesting overdiagnosis.