prospective study of bacterial infections in patients with liver cirrhosis

ABSTRACT

One hundred hospitalized patients with cirrhosis were included in a prospective and sequential study, to verify the prevalence and most frequent causes of bacterial infection. The differences in clinical and laboratory data between the two groups were analyzed Group 1, 60 patients who developed bacterial infection and group II, 40 patients without bacterial infection. The prevalence or commutative frequency of the development of bacterial infection during one hopsitalization was 60%. Among these, the most frequent types of infection were Urinary tract infection U. T. I. [30.85%], respiratory infection [26.34], and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis SBP [14.35%]. Community infections were more frequent [49.64%] than nosocomial infections [35.42%] and they occurred sequentially in 14.74% of the case. Clinical and biochemical parameters in bacterial infection were generally correlated with the severity of liver disease. During hospitalization, the mortality rate of group I was 38.20%, whereas in group II, it was [8.94%]. SBP and respiratory infections were the most severe types of infections, with high mortality rates 30%, and 43% respectively. Urinary tract infections with active urinary bilharziases constitutes 20% of the total urinary tract infection cases. These results indicate that bacterial infection is a severe complication in the course of liver cirrhosis