The Incidence of Hypersplenism in Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis of Alcoholic Etiology

Introduction: Liver cirrhosis is a terminal, morpho-functional entity of hepatic dysfunction, which is characterized by the replacement of the hepatic lobule connective tissue nodules. Splenomegaly is a common finding in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension can cause hypersplenism. Hypersplenism is the leading cause of thrombocytopenia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between platelet count and spleen size in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Materials and Methods: Retrospective study included 50 male patients with liver cirrhosis, alcoholic etiology, hospitalized in the University Clinical Center of Republic of Srpska, at the Department of Gastroenterology and hepatology. The degree of liver function we determined by using Child-Pugh score. Craniocaudal diameter of the spleen was determined by ultrasound, a criterion for splenomegaly has a diameter greater than 11 cm. Presence of thrombocytopenia is platelet count below 150,000 / ml.

Results: The average age of patients was 62 years. Splenomegaly was present in 62% of patients. The mean diameter of the spleen was 14.6 cm. The mean platelet count was 87,500 / ml. In this study, no significant correlation was observed between spleen size and platelet count (p = 0.587).

Conclusion: In this study, liver cirrhosis and thrombocytopenia may be present even in the absence of enlarged spleen, indicating the possible presence of other mechanisms that reduce the number of platelets.