Abstract

SAMADA SUAREZ, Marcia et al. Identification of the risk factors for the presence of oesophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2008, vol.37, n.1. ISSN 0138-6557.

In order to identify the clinical, haematological, biochemical and echographic variables that may be predictors of the presence of oesophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis, an endoscopy of the upper digestive tract was conducted among 200 patients with this disease evaluated by the group of hepatic transplant of the Center for Medical and Surgical Research from January 2004 to December 2006. The presence or not of varices was related to the following variables: staging of hepatic insufficiency according to the classification of Child-Pugh-Turcotte, bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, platelet count, ascites, splenomegaly, and diameter of the portal vein. 139 patients presented esophageal varices (69.5 %) and 89 (44.5 %) portal gastropathy. As regards the Child staging, 33, 31 and 36 % presented A, B and C staging, respectively. In the univariate analysis, the appearance of varices showed a significant association with the advanced staging of Child-Pugh-Turcotte, with bilirubin, albumin, splenomegaly, the increase of diameter of the portal vein and ascites. In this analysis, only splenomegaly and ascites has a predicitive value independent of the presence of varices.

Keywords : Liver cirrhosis; oesophageal varices.

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