Childhood liver diseases in Jos, Nigeria: a retrospective histopathological study

Forty eight needle biopsies of the liver, from children registered in the histopathological laboratory of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) were reviewed. Liver disease diagnosis was based on histopathological criteria without recourse to either clinical, biochemical or microbiological data. Hepatic Schistosomiasis (37.5%) and liver cirrhosis (25%) were the most frequently diagnosed lesions. There were only two cases of biliary cirrhosis secondary to biliary atrisia. Parasitic infestation of the liver was the most common cause of childhood hepatic dysfunction. Our results confirm the observations of workers in other tropical and subtropical regions, where infection is the commonest cause of childhood liver disease. This is in sharp contrast to the findings from European countries where neonatal hepatitis or biliary atresia are the most commonly diagnosed disorders. This retrospective study provides a good starting point for a prospective study, to determine the incidence and severity of childhood liver disease in Nigeria. This is a retrospective histopathological study aimed at establishing the pattern of liver disease in the paediatric age group in Jos. The indication for liver biopsy in all the cases was hepatosplenomegaly with or without biochemical abnormality.