Correlation of alanine aminotransferase levels and a histological diagnosis of steatohepatitis with ultrasound-diagnosed metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in patients from a centre in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is defined as the occurrence of hepatic fat accumulation in patients with negligible alcohol consumption or any other cause of hepatic steatosis. This study aimed to correlate the ultrasound-based diagnosis of MAFLD with the histological diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in patients with MAFLD. METHODS: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 71 patients with MAFLD diagnosed by ultrasound. Percutaneous liver biopsy was performed for histological evidence of NASH in all patients, regardless of liver function test (LFT) values, provided that they had no contraindications. Liver histology was graded using the NASH Clinical Research Network MAFLD Activity Score. The data obtained were entered into SPSS version 21 and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The significance level was set at < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 71 patients (26 males and 45 females) with MAFLD were included. Thirty-nine (76.5%) patients with MAFLD and normal ALT levels had NASH, while 14 (82.4%) had elevated ALT levels. There was no statistically significant difference in the histological grade of NASH between patients with normal and elevated ALT levels. A weak correlation was found between the severity of steatosis on ultrasound scan and NASH incidence (p = 0.026). The sensitivity and specificity of ALT levels for predicting NASH according to the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC 0.590) at an ALT cut-off value of 27.5 IU/L were 55.8% and 64.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: NASH can occur in patients with MAFLD, irrespective of alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, and ultrasound grading of the severity of steatosis cannot accurately predict NASH. Liver biopsy remains the investigation of choice.

Factors that Influence the Acceptance of Needle Biopsy of the Liver at a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Liver biopsy is a procedure that is carried out for making the diagnosis of abnormal liver conditions. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the factors that influence patients' acceptance of liver biopsy. METHODS: A hospital based prospective study among patients scheduled for outpatient liver biopsy. They completed an interviewer administered questionnaire that captured their expectations, the degree of pain, areas they think need improvement during the biopsy process and whether they would consent to a second liver biopsy. A qualitative aspect involved an in-depth interview of participants purposively selected for their experience of liver biopsy. Data from the quantitative group were entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed using simple and inferential statistics while content analysis was done for the qualitative aspect. RESULTS: There were 100 participants in the quantitative group, 61 males and 39 females, and 16 in the qualitative group. Participants in the quantitative group expected a painful procedure (92%) that was likely to restrict their movement (64%). After biopsy, 44%, 40%, 28%, 26%, 18% and 17% of participants were unhappy with the long monitoring hours, biopsy needle pain, number of biopsy passes, lying on the biopsy site, shoulder tip pain and pain of local anaesthetic injection respectively. The qualitative aspect identified five thematic areas and showed that liver biopsy pain was influenced by preoperative anxiety occasioned by ill-advice and was exaggerated among females. CONCLUSION: Consenting for liver biopsy may be influenced by advice from others, while factors relating to the procedure and long monitoring period remain as deterrent factors.

CONTEXTE: La biopsie hépatique est une procédure qui est effectuée pour établir le diagnostic d'affections hépatiques anormales. OBJECTIFS: Cette étude a évalué les facteurs qui influencent l'acceptation de la biopsie hépatique par les patients. MÉTHODES: Une étude prospective en milieu hospitalier parmi les patients devant subir une biopsie hépatique en ambulatoire. Ils ont rempli un questionnaire administré par un intervieweur qui capturait leurs attentes, le degré de douleur, les domaines qu'ils pensaient devoir améliorer au cours du processus de biopsie et s'ils consentiraient à une deuxième biopsie du foie. Un aspect qualitatif impliquait un entretien approfondi avec des participants sélectionnés à dessein pour leur expérience de la biopsie hépatique. Les données du groupe quantitatif ont été saisies dans SPSS version 20 et analysées à l'aide de statistiques simples et inférentielles tandis que l'analyse de contenu a été effectuée pour l'aspect qualitatif. RÉSULTATS: Il y avait 100 participants dans le groupe quantitatif, 61 hommes et 39 femmes, et 16 dans le groupe qualitatif. Les participants du groupe quantitatif s'attendaient à une intervention douloureuse (92 %) susceptible de restreindre leurs mouvements (64 %). Après la biopsie, 44 %, 40 %, 28 %, 26 %, 18 % et 17 % des participants étaient mécontents des longues heures de surveillance, de la douleur à l'aiguille de biopsie, du nombre de passages de biopsie, de la position allongée sur le site de la biopsie, de la douleur et de la pointe de l'épaule d'injection d'anesthésique local respectivement. L'aspect qualitatif a identifié cinq domaines thématiques et a montré que la douleur de la biopsie hépatique était influencée par l'anxiété préopératoire occasionnée par un mauvais conseil et était exagérée chez les femmes. CONCLUSION: Le consentement à une biopsie hépatique peut être influencé par les conseils d'autrui, tandis que les facteurs liés à la procédure et à la longue période de surveillance restent des facteurs dissuasifs. MOTS CLÉS: Facteurs, influence, acceptation, biopsie hépatique. Nigérians.

Nigerian resident doctors' work schedule: A national study.

Background and Aim: The deleterious effects of Resident Doctors' (RDs') long duty hours are well documented. Driven by concerns over the physician's well-being and patient safety, the RDs' duty hours in many developed countries have been capped. However, in Nigeria and many African countries, there are no official regulations on work hours of RDs. This study evaluated the work schedule of Nigerian RDs and its impact on their wellbeing and patient safety. Subjects and Methods: A national survey of 1105 Nigerian RDs from all specialties in 59 training institutions was conducted. With an electronic questionnaire designed using Google Forms, data on the work activities of RDs were obtained and analyzed using the IBM SPSS software version 24. The associations were compared using Chi-squared test with the level of significance set at < 0.05. Results: The mean weekly duty hours (h) of the RDs was 106.5 ± 50.4. Surgical residents worked significantly longer hours than non-surgical residents (122.7 ± 34.2 h vs 100.0 ± 43.9 h; P < 0.001). The modal on-call frequency was two weekday on-calls per week (474, 42.9%) and two weekend on-calls per month (495, 44.8%), with the majority of RDs working continuously for up to 24 hours during weekday on-calls (854, 77.3%) and 48-72 hours during weekend on-calls (568, 51.4%), sleeping for an average of only four hours during these on-calls. The majority of RDs had post-call clinical responsibilities (975, 88.2%) and desired official regulation of duty hours (1,031, 93.3%). Conclusion: The duty hours of Nigerian RDs are currently long and unregulated. There is an urgent need to regulate them for patient and physician safety.