A study and analysis of the deaths due to advanced Schistosoma japonicum infection in the Dongting Lake area of China.

This study collected records of 245 cases of death due to advanced schistosomiasis japonica in the eastern Dongting Lake area between 1985 and 1990. The mean survival of the patients was 5.16 years. The patients with ascitic type had a shorter expected life while the life span of splenomegalic type patient markedly improved after splenectomy. The HBsAg positive rate was 43.64%; the rate of those complicated with carcinoma of liver was 19.18%. The latter group had a HBV infection rate as high as 61.70%.