ArticleBMC gastroenterology2018
Unexplained chronic liver disease in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chronic Liver Disease in Ethiopia with a Particular Focus on the Etiological Spectrums: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Canadian journal of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of problematic Khat use on mental health in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State: a population study.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Spectrum of Chronic Liver Disease Among Patients Seeking Health Care in Ghana.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Article
- Treatment outcomes of chronic liver disease and associated factors among patients treated at hospitals in Bahir Dar city, north-west Ethiopia.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Magnitude, patterns, and factors associated with liver disease among clinically suspected clients in Eastern Ethiopia: hidden public health tragedy.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Seroprevalence and Predictors of Hepatitis B and C Virus Infections Among Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases in Dodoma Region, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.Hepatic medicine : evidence and research · 2025Article
- Article
- Assessing Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Patients at a Tertiary Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Journal of diabetes research · 2025Article
- Chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Eastern Ethiopia: Clinical characteristics and determinants of cirrhosis.World journal of hepatology · 2024Article
- Liver Cirrhosis of Unknown Etiology and Its Predictors in Eastern Ethiopia.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Where do those data go? Reuse of screening results from clinical trials to estimate population prevalence of HBV infection in adults in Kilifi, Kenya.Journal of virus eradication · 2023Article
- Epidemiological profiles and causes of sudden deaths of various ages in Ethiopia: an autopsy-based study.F1000Research · 2023Observational
- Contribution of Aflatoxin BInternational journal of general medicine · 2023Article
- Review
- Occult hepatitis B virus infection among patients with chronic liver disease of unidentified cause, Addis Ababa Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Poultry Feed in Selected Chicken Rearing Villages of Bishoftu Ethiopia.Veterinary medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Drug-Induced Liver Injury Caused by "Khat," an Herbal Stimulant.ACG case reports journal · 2020Article
- Review
- Article
- Short-term clinical outcomes of patients admitted with chronic liver disease to selected teaching hospitals in Ethiopia.PloS one · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is assumed to be the major cause of chronic liver disease (CLD) in sub-Saharan Africa. The contribution of other aetiological causes of CLD is less well documented and hence opportunities to modulate other potential risk factors are being lost. The aims of this study were to explore the aetiological spectrum of CLD in eastern Ethiopia and to identify plausible underlying risk factors for its development.
methodsA cross-sectional study was undertaken between April 2015 and April 2016 in two public hospitals in Harar, eastern Ethiopia. The study population comprised of consenting adults with clinical and radiological evidence of chronic liver disease. The baseline evaluation included: (i) a semi-structured interview designed to obtain information about the ingestion of alcohol, herbal medicines and local recreational drugs such as khat (Catha edulis); (ii) clinical examination; (iii) extensive laboratory testing; and, (iv) abdominal ultrasonography.
resultsOne-hundred-and-fifty patients with CLD (men 72.0%; median age 30 [interquartile range 25-40] years) were included. CLD was attributed to chronic HBV infection in 55 (36.7%) individuals; other aetiological agents were identified in a further 12 (8.0%). No aetiological factors were identified in the remaining 83 (55.3%) patients. The overall prevalence of daily khat use was 78.0%, while alcohol abuse, defined as > 20 g/day in women and > 30 g/day in men, was rare (2.0%). Histological features of toxic liver injury were observed in a subset of patients with unexplained liver injury who underwent liver biopsy.
conclusionThe aetiology of CLD in eastern Ethiopia is largely unexplained. The widespread use of khat in the region, together with histopathological findings indicating toxic liver injury, suggests an association which warrants further investigation.
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