RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is very important and determination of serum levels of tumour markers in patients with chronic liver diseases could be of immense contribution to their management. METHOD: Forty-two adult Nigerian subjects consisting of 14 healthy subjects (Controls) and 28 patients with primary liver mass (es) and histological diagnoses of liver cirrhosis (LC) +/- chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and hepatocellular carcinoma +/- LC were studied. Their blood samples were assayed for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV), alkaline phosphatase (AP), Aphafeotoprotein (AFP) and Ferritin. RESULTS: The patients had HCC (10) HCC+LC(4), LC+CAH (2) and LC (12). Serum ferritin> 700ng/ml, AP> 375IU/ml and AFP>200IU/ml were detected in 32%, 11% and 32% of the patients respectively with corresponding specificities of 100%, 86% and 100%. Elevated serum levels of AFP and ferritin were found in patients with HCC +/- LC while raised serum AP occurred in those having PHCC without LC. Only combination of either AFP or ferritin to AP gave significant increase in the diagnostic yield of HCC among the patients than the use of only AR Elevated levels of serum AFP correlated with both HBV and HCV while raised serum levels of ferritin were associated with only with HBV CONCLUSION: Although combination of the tumour markers gave a higher diagnostic yield for HCC among Nigerian patients, serum AFP > 200IU/ml seems the best tumour marker in the diagnosis of PHCC among the patients.
Asunto(s)
Biomarcadores de Tumor/sangre , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/diagnóstico , Hepatitis C Crónica/diagnóstico , Cirrosis Hepática/diagnóstico , Adulto , Fosfatasa Alcalina/sangre , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/complicaciones , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Ferritinas/sangre , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis C/sangre , Hepatitis C Crónica/complicaciones , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/complicaciones , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Nigeria , alfa-FetoproteínasRESUMEN
Body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used measure of obesity. Recently, some investigators have advocated direct measurement of adiposity rather than use of the BMI. This study was undertaken to determine the ability of BMI to predict body fat levels in three populations of West African heritage living in different environments. A total of 1,054 black men and women were examined in Nigeria, Jamaica, and the United States during 1994 and 1995. A standardized protocol was used to measure height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and blood pressure at all sites; percentage of body fat was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Percentage of body fat and BMI were highly correlated within site- and sex-specific groups, and the resulting r2 ranged from 0.61 to 0.85. The relation was quadratic in all groups except Nigerian men, in whom it was linear. The regression coefficients were similar across sites, yet the mean body fat levels differed significantly (p < 0.001) as estimated by the intercept, making intersite comparison difficult. Compared with BMI, percentage of body fat was not a better predictor of blood pressure or waist or hip circumference.