ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2026
Prevalence and Spectrum of Chronic Liver Disease Among Patients Seeking Health Care in Ghana.
Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- 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
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
20 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic liver diseases (CLD) leading to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and pose a significant burden on its health care systems. We aimed to elucidate the prevalence of fibrosis/cirrhosis in patients seeking health care in Kumasi, Ghana, and its underlying aetiologies.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, we performed sonography, transient elastography as well as biochemical and virological analyses.
resultsTransient elastography indicated fibrosis/cirrhosis in 24.5% (113/461) of participants. Liver cirrhosis was significantly associated with known hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, lack of formal education, hospitalisation, and male sex. Prevalence of active hepatitis B was significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to controls (54.6% [30/55] vs. 17.1% [19/111]), as was anti-HBc (94.6% [52/55] vs. 80.2% [89/111]). CLD was mainly attributed to HBV (27.3%, 30/110), alcohol abuse (11.8%, 13/110), a combination of both (10.9%, 12/110), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (20%, 22/110). Antiviral treatment was indicated in 24 patients with active hepatitis B (number-needed-to-screen: 19.2). Hepatitis C and D viruses were of minor importance (2.7% [3/110] and 0.9% [1/110], respectively).
conclusionsWe found a high prevalence of CLD, predominantly caused by HBV, MASLD and alcohol. We confirmed the use of transient elastography as a non-invasive and easily applicable tool in resource-limited settings. Our findings underscore the need for systematic screening of hospitalised patients, especially men, in sub-Saharan Africa. Comprehensive screening, treatment, vaccination and prevention programs for HBV, as the leading cause of chronic liver disease, are warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.