Job. Olubodun et Oa. Talabi, HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA PRESENTING AS A SEPTICEMIA-LIKE ILLNESS IN AN AFRICAN ADOLESCENT, British journal of clinical practice, 50(3), 1996, pp. 173-174
Although primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) is quite common in adu
lts in Africa, it is very rare in those under 25. The clinical diagnos
is is usually straightforward by the time patients present and it is u
nusual to encounter differential diagnostic problems, We report an unu
sual clinical manifestation of PHC al the very young age of 15 years.
The case presented clinically as a septicaemia-like illness that was i
nitially thought to be typhoid, The patient died within 72h of present
ation and the true diagnosis was only made at post-mortem. This case s
imultaneously highlights several problems commonly encountered in medi
cine in the developing world: late presentation, self-medication, and
investigative and diagnostic difficulties related to inadequate facili
ties.