Raghavendra Reddy Gundepalli, Srinivasa S. V, Prabhakar K
BACKGROUND Ascites is the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity and the most common cause of ascites is portal hypertension. The main causes of portal hypertension are cirrhosis (75%), malignancies (10%), cardiac failure (5%) and infections (10%). So, the evaluation of cause of ascites is needed for treatment. It will be more economical to screen the patients who are at high risk of having varices and also lower the burden on endoscopic units.5 Identification of noninvasive predictors of OV and PHG will allow upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) endoscopy to be carried out only in selected group of patients thus avoid unnecessary intervention and at the same time not to miss patients at risk of bleeding.6 Majority of the studies show thrombocytopenia as the most useful predictor for cirrhosis in the background of viral aetiology. Hypersplenism and decreased thrombopoietin are the reasons for thrombocytopenia in cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study was conducted in the inpatients who were admitted to the Department of General Medicine, R.L. Jalappa Hospital attached to Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar In total, 50 patients with liver cirrhosis were selected. Patients were recruited based on history such as exposure to alcohol and chronic hepatitis B and C infections), past medical records, previous admissions due to ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, biochemical abnormalities in the presence of ultrasonography findings, or liver biopsy where available. RESULTS Platelet count was lower in patients with haematemesis and oesophageal varices which was statistically significant (P<0.05). Hence platelet count can be one of the non-invasive investigations for the prediction of portal hypertension with ascites. CONCLUSION Platelet count was significantly low in the patients with signs of portal hypertension and oesophageal varices. Hence Platelet count can be used at bedside to choose the best therapeutic options and avoid useless expensive procedures in patients with an expected poor survival outcome.
