ArticleBMC public health2018
Epidemiology and factors associated with amoebic liver abscess in northern Sri Lanka.
Article in BMC public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and management of amoebic liver abscesses in Sub-Saharan Africa: a retrospective cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Article
- Clinical Predictors for Early Aspiration in Patients With Liver Abscesses: Insights From a Combined-Risk Model.Cureus · 2025Article
- Association of Testosterone Levels and Serum Iron in Patients With Liver Abscess at a Tertiary Care Center.Cureus · 2025Article
- An amebic liver abscess in a female child with successful recovery in a non-endemic area: a case report.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Amebic liver abscess: An update.World journal of hepatology · 2024Review
- Amebic liver abscess byWorld journal of clinical cases · 2022Review
- Amebic liver abscess: Clinico-radiological findings and interventional management.World journal of radiology · 2022Review
- Amoebic Liver Abscess: A disease native to Oman?Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2022Article
- Huge and ruptured amoebic liver abscess diagnosed by mNGS: A case report.Journal of intensive medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Article
- Amoebic Liver Abscesses in Fiji: Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation and Comparison of Percutaneous Aspiration and Percutaneous Catheter Drainage.World journal of surgery · 2020Article
- Review
- Association between local alcoholic beverages and amoebic liver abscess in the Indian subcontinent: Weird but true!JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2019Article
- Successful Diagnosis of a Longstanding Giant Amoebic Liver Abscess Using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS): A Case Report in a Western Country.The American journal of case reports · 2019Article
- Amoebic Liver Abscess and Indigenous Alcoholic Beverages in the Tropics.Journal of tropical medicine · 2018Review
- Clinical and laboratory profile of patients with amoebic liver abscess.Tropical parasitologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundClinically diagnosed amoebic liver abscess (ALA) caused by Entamoeba histolytica has been an important public health problem in Jaffna district, northern Sri Lanka for last three decades. In order to draw up a control strategy for elimination of this condition, knowledge of its epidemiology and factors associated with this condition in the local context is vital.
methodsAll clinically diagnosed ALA patients admitted to the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna during the study period were included in the study and the data were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. One hundred blood samples from randomly selected toddy (a local alcoholic drink consisting of the fermented sap of the Palmyrah palm) consumers and 200 toddy samples were collected. Toddy samples were cultured in Robinson's medium to establish the presence of Entamoeba histolytica in the sample. Climatic data and the total toddy sales in the district were obtained from the Meteorological and Excise Departments respectively. A sub group of randomly selected 100 patients were compared with 100 toddy consumers who were negative for E. histolytica antibody to explore the potential risk factors.
resultsBetween July 2012 and July 2015, 346 of 367 ALA patients were enrolled in this study. Almost all patients (98.6%) were males with a history of heavy consumption of alcohol (100%). Almost all (94.2%) were within the age group 31-50 years. None of the cultured toddy samples grew E. histolytica. The monthly incidence of disease peaked in the dry season, matching the total toddy sales in the district. Age, type of alcohol and frequency of drinking were identified as potential risk factors whereas frequency of alcohol consumption and type of alcohol (consuming toddy and arrack) were identified as the independent risk factors. Moreover, the knowledge, attitude and practices towards ALA were poor among participants and the control group.
conclusionsThough the number of cases has declined in recent years, ALA still remains as an important public health problem in Jaffna district. The transmission route of E. histolytica leading to ALA has to be further explored. Moreover, greater awareness among the public who are at risk would be beneficial in order to eliminate the disease.
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