Prevalence of Hepatic Alveolar hydatid in a Nonendemic Region of North India in Hospital-based Population

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to calculate the prevalence of hepatic alveolar hydatid disease in hospital-based population in North India, a nonendemic region for alveolar hydatid disease. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary care center in North India between April 2017 and March 2019. Patients with suspected hepatic alveolar hydatid on ultrasonography were evaluated with further imaging studies based on classical radiological findings and then confirmed by histopathology. Results: Twenty-five cases of hepatic alveolar hydatid were diagnosed primarily based on the classical imaging/radiological findings with histopathology confirmation, with a 2-year period prevalence of 0.207 cases/1000 population. Majority of the cases were in the age group of 41–60 years, with a mean age of 53.04 years. Fifty-two percent of the cases were female. Majority of them were from hilly areas and working with livestock animals. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom. Conclusion: Hepatic alveolar hydatid is considered as a rare disease in India; however, the increased number of cases been diagnosed in our study could be either due to increased diagnostic modalities or due to actual increase in the number of cases. Therefore, hepatic alveolar hydatid should be considered in the differentials of suspicious liver mass in nonendemic regions.