Author(s)

Kadiatou Doumbia^1*, Hourouma Sow¹, Moussa Younoussou Dicko¹, Mariam Guitteye¹, Sanra Déborah Sanogo², Makan Siré Tounkara¹, Kalba Péliaba¹, Amadou Traoré³, Ouatou Mallé², Abdoulaye Maïga², Ganda Soumaré², Mamadou Sissoko¹, Anselme Konaté¹, Moussa Tiémoko Diarra¹, Moussa Youssoufa Maïga¹

¹Hepato-Gastroenterology Department, Gabriel Toure University Hospital, Bamako, Mali.
²Hepato-Gastroenterology Department, Point G University Hospital, Bamako, Mali.
³General Surgery Department, Gabriel Toure University Hospital, Bamako, Mali.

Summary: Hepatomegaly is one of the clinical signs commonly encountered in chronic liver disease. The aim of our study was to study the epidemiological, clinical and etiological aspects of hepatomegaly in the hepato-gastroenterology department (HGE) of the Gabriel Touré university hospital. This was a cross-sectional study that took place from September 2021 to October 2022 in the department. All patients aged 18 years and older with hepatomegaly, hospitalized or examined by physicians were included. We collected 100 cases of hepatomegaly, representing 3.7% of 2661 patients examined or hospitalized in the HGE department during the study period. These patients had a mean age was 46.7 ± 16.10 years with extremes of 18 and 76 years. The sex ratio was 2.7. Jaundice was the most commonly reported history with a frequency of 26%. Pertaining to patients’ lifestyle, alcohol consumption was the most common feature with 6%. The most common associated clinical signs were jaundice, ascites, and edema of the lower limbs. Painful hepatomegaly (86%), with a sharp lower edge (74%), a firm consistency (69%), and an irregular surface (52%) was frequently observed. Cytolysis (75.5%), increased alphafetoprotein levels (70%), microcytic anemia (37%), hyperleukocytosis (54.3%), and biological hepatocellular insufficiency syndrome (low albumin with 30.4%, high bilirubinemia with 61.2% and low platelets with 33.9%) were the most common observed laboratory abnormalities. Hepatitis B virus markers (61%) were the most frequently found in the study patients. At ultrasound examination, heterogeneous hepatomegaly was observed in 87.3% of the patients. Esophageal varices (43.1%) were more commonly seen than other varices during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The dominant etiology was hepatocellular carcinoma on cirrhosis with 66% followed by cirrhosis. Conclusion: Painful hepatomegaly was quite frequently in our urban setting hospital with several etiologies. HCC was the most common etiology, therefore measures to prevent it in the community need to be established by the concerned stakeholders to improve adult population health in Bamako.

Hepatomegaly, Epidemiology, Clinical, Etiology, Gabriel Toure University Hospital, Bamako

Doumbia, K. , Sow, H. , Dicko, M. , Guitteye, M. , Sanogo, S. , Tounkara, M. , Péliaba, K. , Traoré, A. , Mallé, O. , Maïga, A. , Soumaré, G. , Sissoko, M. , Konaté, A. , Diarra, M. and Maïga, M. (2024) Epidemiological, Clinical and Etiological Aspects of Adult Hepatomegaly at the Gabriel Touré University Hospital of Bamako in 2023. Open Journal of Gastroenterology, 14, 369-378. doi: 10.4236/ojgas.2024.1411038.