Latent cirrhosis in Singapore. A morphological and aetiological study
Lee, Y.S.
Singapore Medical Journal 20(1): 259-264
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-5675 PMID: 451637 Document Number: 150590
Twenty nine cases (21.5%) of latent and 106 cases of symptomatic hepatic cirrhosis from 2098 consecutive autopsies are analyzed. The relative proportion of latent to symptomatic cirrhosis tends to be greater in the older age group, in Chinese than Indians and in females than males. Among the latent cirrhosis, a history of excessive alcohol consumption, micronodular cirrhosis and the presence of alcoholic hyalin in the liver cells are distinctly uncommon. While alcohol plays an important role in the pathogenesis of symptomatic cirrhosis especially among the Indians, it apparently is not an important etiological factor in the pathogenesis of latent cirrhosis in Singapore. The high orcein positivity rate together with the predominance of macronodular type of cirrhosis and the frequent history of previous surgery or transfusion among the latent cirrhosis suggest hepatitis B infection probably plays an important role in its pathogenesis in Singapore. A great majority of latent cirrhosis are early and not severely active. Latent cirrhosis may probably represent the preclinical stage of a recent cirrhosis or a protracted cirrhosis of low activity.