The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Issue 11 Vol 114 | Page 17
Our patient was noted to have clinical signs
and symptoms of the disease. Given the history
of chronic alcohol consumption, supported by im-
aging and positive serology in an individual from
a non-endemic region, we were able to make a
diagnosis and manage the patient accordingly,
resulting in an appropriate therapeutic response.
CONCLUSION
Physicians should be aware that amebic
liver disease could be seen in patients who
have not traveled outside of the United States
to endemic regions. With one-third of patients
in the United States diagnosed of amebic liver
abscess not having visited endemic areas, high
index of suspicion should be considered in men
with history of alcohol abuse, features of immu-
nosuppression, or unexplained weight loss pre-
senting with unexplained right-sided abdominal
pain. This is likely to be missed in patients who
have not visited areas with high prevalence such
as the patient in our discussion. Early imaging
should be considered in patients with concern-
ing symptoms to facilitate a diagnosis and to
prevent severe complications like hepatic rupture
and peritonitis. These complications may require
Medical Board
Legal Issues?
immediate surgical intervention and have an in-
creased risk of mortality.
REFERENCES
1. Walsh J. Prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica
infection. In Ravdin JI, ed. Amebiasis, Human
Infection by Entamoeba histolytica . New York,
NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc; 1988:93-105.
2. Congly SE, Shaheen AM, Meddings L, Kaplan
GG, and Myers RP: Amoebic liver abscess in
USA: a population-based study of incidence,
temporal trends and mortality. Liver Interna-
tional 2011, 31: 1191–1198.
3. Salles JM, Salles MJ, Moraes LA, Silva MC: In-
vasive amebiasis: an update on diagnosis and
management. Expert Review of Anti-Infective
Therapy 2007:pp 893-901.
4. Acuna-Soto R, Maguire JH, Wirth DF: Gender
distribution in asymptomatic and invasive am-
ebiasis: Am J Gastroenterol 2000; 95:1277-
1283.
5. Seeto RK,Rockey DC, Amebic liver abscess:
Epidermiology, clinical features and outcome:
West J Med,170(1999),pp 104-109.
6. Ahmad M, Khan AH, Mubarik A: Fatal amoe-
bic liver abscess: an autopsy study: J Gastro-
enterol Hepatol, 6 (1991), pp 67-70.
7. Peterson KM, Singh U, Petri WA Jr. Enteric
amebiasis. In: Tropical infectious diseases:
Principles, pathogens, and practice, 3rd ed,
Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia 2011. p.614.
8. Kimura K, Stoopen M, Reeder MM, et al. Am-
ebiasis: Modern diagnostic imaging with path-
ological and clinical correlation. 1997;32:250-
275.
9. Gupta SS, Singh O, Sabharwal G, Hastir A.
Catheter drainage versus needle aspiration
in management of large (> 10 cm diameter)
amoebic liver abscesses. ANZ J Surg 2011;
81:547–551.
10. Sharma MP, Dasarathy S, Verma N, Saksena S,
Shukla DK. Prognostic markers in amebic liver
abscess: a perspective study. Am J Gastroen-
terol. 1996,91:2584-8.
11. M.P. Sharma, S. Sushma,N. Verma. Long term
follow up of amebic liver abscess: Clinical and
ultrasound patterns of resolution: Trop Gastro-
enterol,16 (1995), pp .24-28.
Aircraft Ownership Simplified
Life’s a Beach
Call
Pharmacist/Attorney
Darren O’Quinn
1-800-455-0581
®
Call for Details
www.DarrenOQuinn.com
Little Rock, Arkansas
Aircraft Sales Department
501.975.9328
[email protected]
2 3 0 1 C r i s p D r i v e |
L i t t l e R o c k
Since 1939
|
A r k a n s a s
|
7 2 2 0 2
NUMBER 11
|
c e n t r a l . a e r o
MAY 2018 • 257