Alveolar Hydatid Disease (AHD) Can be Confused
With Cirrhosis of the Liver

Alveolar Hydatid Disease is caused by the Human Tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis, the tapeworm found in dogs, as well as other canines, and cats. The canines and cats carry the adult tapeworms and pass the eggs into the environment through their stool. Once the human ingests the eggs, the eggs release the larvae; the larvae then separates and invades the intestinal wall entering the circulatory system. The larvae can travel throughout the body and form parasitic tumors. The most common site of tumors from the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm is the liver (60%). These tumors, formally called Hydatid disease, are also found in the lungs (25%), brain, and other organs.

Hydatid cysts grow over the course of many years at an average rate of about 13 cm per year. Surgery is often required to remove the mass. Symptoms are: discomfort in the upper abdominal quadrant, a cough, Jaundice, weakness, and weight loss. The symptoms can mimic those of liver cancer or cirrhosis of the liver.