Background: Hydatid cyst infection is a serious disease that affects humans who come into touch with the infective stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, which is found all over the world. Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the larvae of the Cestoda genus Echinococcus. Aim of the Work: This research examines the demographic features, clinical manifestations, and treatment of hydatid cyst of the liver (HCL) within the context of a tertiary care center in Iraq. The primary objective of this research is to provide doctors with valuable insights into the epidemiology and clinical presentation of the illness within the context of a developing nation. Participants and Methods: This study included 50 patients with liver hydatid cyst diagnosed clinically and surgically a specialized consulting physician confirmed the presence of hydatid cysts in the liver using clinical and surgical means. They ranged in age from ten to seventy-five. From January to October of 2023, these individuals were seen during the general surgery consultations at Al-Sadr Hospital in AL_Najaf, of the 50 liver patients analyzed, 34 had cysts larger than 5 cm, whereas 13 had cysts less than 5 cm. These two groups were then divided further according to cyst size. The degree and kind of illness were used to categories the patients; 31 had the Control Group, which consists of twenty-five individuals who are free of hydatid cyst disease. The liver function was directly affected by the hydatid cyst infection, which led to a significant rise in GOT, GPT, and ALP levels. As a result, there was an increase in total bilirubin in the patients' serum compared to the control group. This trend was also observed in secondary infections compared to primary ones. Patients with a cyst size greater than 5 cm had significantly higher levels of the aforementioned markers than those with a cyst size less than 5 cm, suggesting a disruption in liver functions in those individuals. Patients with hydatid cysts had significantly higher blood total bilirubin levels than the control group and patients with primary and secondary infection, according to the findings of the study's total bilirubin level measurement. Results: The outcomes of individuals with hydration cysts that are bigger than 5 cm have also shown some variation. There are a few possible explanations for this increase: damage to the liver cells, the cyst's size (which puts more pressure on the cells), or the cyst's closeness to the bile ducts, which makes the liver less efficient at what it does.
Conclusion: Patients with a cyst size greater than 5 cm had significantly higher levels of the aforementioned markers than those with a cyst size less than 5 cm, suggesting a disruption in liver functions in those individuals. Patients with hydatid cysts had significantly higher blood total bilirubin levels than the control group and patients with primary and secondary infection, according to the findings of the study's total bilirubin level measurement.