Khat‐associated hepatitis

Forbes, Malcolm; Raj, Ashok; Martin, Jennifer; Lampe, Guy; Powell, Elizabeth E.

doi:10.5694/mja13.10951

Cited by 14 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…There have been 12 case reports from the West 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 that suggested an association between khat chewing and acute and chronic liver disease. The first report by D’Souza in 2005 4 did not mention khat use, but a later study confirmed the association.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Khat chewing and cirrhosis in Somaliland: Case series

Mahamoud

Muse

Roberts

et al. 2016

Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med.

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BackgroundKhat chewing is common especially among men in East Africa and Yemen. It is generally viewed by the populace as a benign social custom. Several studies of ethnic Somali immigrants to Western countries suggest an association between khat chewing and hepatotoxicity, but the risk of hepatotoxicity related to khat chewing within African settings is not documented.AimTo identify and describe liver disease without evidence of alcohol exposure or infectious etiology in khat chewers.SettingsA university-affiliated teaching hospital in Somaliland.MethodsCases of cirrhosis of unknown cause were identified from the clinical practice of Al Hayatt Hospital in Borama, Somaliland, during 14 months beginning December 2012.ResultsEight Somali men aged 27–70 years living in Somaliland were identified with cirrhosis of otherwise unknown cause. All chewed khat habitually for many years (15–128 bundles per day times years of use). A liver biopsy of one man was consistent with khat hepatotoxicity. Four of the eight men died during the study period.ConclusionKhat chewing may be associated with health consequences including severe hepatotoxicity with cirrhosis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Khat chewing and cirrhosis in Somaliland: Case series

Mahamoud

Muse

Roberts

et al. 2016

Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med.

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“…Two out of the seven patients in this study were found to have met the criteria for probable AIH [10]. Atypical presentations of AIH in Somali men have also been documented in an additional clinical study [18], and although no specific mention of khat use was reported, it is believed that there may be a correlation between the increased presentations of AIH seen in Somali men and the prevalent use and underreporting of khat consumption in this region [1,2,10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Khat (Catha edulis) is a slow-growing flowering shrub native to portions of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula [1,2]. When chewed, khat leaves release an amphetamine-like substance which produces a pleasurable euphoric effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With khat use becoming more prevalent, there has been an increased awareness and growing concern about the potential for khat-induced hepatotoxic injury [1,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Animal studies published in 2002 have evaluated the toxicological effects of long-term khat ingestion and have shown significant hepatotoxic injury from khat exposure in rabbits [7,8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Khat chewing is a popular social habit among the Yemeni, Somali, and East African people [1]. The popularity for chewing khat is primarily due to the psycho-stimulant effects that the use of khat produces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chronic Khat (Catha edulis) Ingestion as a Possible Triggering Agent in the Development of Autoimmune Hepatitis

et al. 2016

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We describe the case of a 34-year-old immigrant male from Yemen who presented with liver dysfunction secondary to chronic ingestion of khat, a commonly abused plant found in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The clinical features of this case, in combination with the diagnostic labs, were consistent with a presentation of a khatinduced hepatotoxicity in the form of an advanced autoimmune process. Khat has already been identified in recent literature and case reports to be a hepatotoxic environmental agent, and new literature has now recognized an increased association between khat consumption and the development of autoimmune hepatitis, although no specific mechanism for triggering an autoimmune response has been elucidated. Our patient exhibited biochemical, immunological, and histopathological features of autoimmune hepatitis, which we believe may have precipitated from the patient's chronic khat drug consumption.

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