Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and liver diseases in Nigeria.

Using isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel, alpha-1-antitrypsin phenotyping was carried out in 1,000 normal Nigerians and in 25 with hepatocellular carcinoma, 17 with cirrhosis of the liver and 193 with neonatal jaundice. The percentage frequency of the homozygous alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency state (PiZZ) in the normal, healthy population was 0.2% compared with 4% in those with hepatoma, 5.9% in those with liver cirrhosis and 0.5% in those with neonatal jaundice. These findings suggest that alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency may be a contributory factor in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis of the liver in Nigeria.