The role of serum ferritin in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with liver cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic values of serum ferritin and other conventional laboratory tests in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with liver cirrhosis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study for diagnostic tests. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS: Seventy-two consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis in whom the haemoglobin level was less than 13.0 g dL(-1) for men and 12.0 g dL(-1) for women. The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based on characteristic clinical and hepatic ultrasonographic findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: By using absence of bone marrow iron as the standard criterion, the diagnostic powers of mean corpuscular volume, transferrin saturation, serum ferritin and the presence of hypochromic red cells in the diagnosis of iron deficiency were compared by analysing the likelihood ratios, the area under the receiver operating curves (ROC) and the stepwise logistic regression associated with each test. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (40.3%) demonstrated no stainable iron in the bone marrow. The likelihood ratios, the area under the ROC and the stepwise logistic regression indicated that serum ferritin was the most powerful test predictive of iron deficiency. Other tests added little further diagnostic values. The likelihood ratios associated with the serum ferritin levels were as follows: <50 microg L(-1), 22.3; 51-200 microg L(-1), 1.5-1.8; 201-400 microg L(-1), 1.0; >400 microg L(-1), <1. These results indicate that serum ferritin level <50 microg L(-1) depict a very high probability of iron deficiency anaemia (0.83-0.99) irrespective of the patient's pre-test probability. CONCLUSION: Serum ferritin is the most powerful noninvasive test for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with liver cirrhosis. It should be the primary test of choice in patients suspected of having the disease. When the level was less than 50 microg L(-1), iron supplement may be prescribed without necessitating bone marrow aspiration.

Anemias in Thai patients with cirrhosis.

Anemia is a frequent complication in patients with cirrhosis. Only one study has been previously reported regarding the etiology of anemias in Thai cirrhotic patients. The diagnosis of iron deficiency in the study however was not based on standard criteria. Herein we report the frequency and hematological manifestations of various causes of anemias diagnosed by using gold standard criteria in 72 consecutive Thai cirrhotic patients. The diagnosis of cirrhosis was based on the characteristic clinical features and the ultrasonographic findings. The median age of the patients was 49 years; male:female was 1:1.3. The mean hemoglobin value was 8.3 g/dl and the mean MCV was 96.6 fl. Most patients revealed macrocytosis, normal WBC count and mild thrombocytopenia. Iron deficiency, defined as absent bone marrow iron stores, was the most common anemia found in 40% of the patients while folate deficiency, diagnosed when red cell folate was < 160 ng/ml packed RBC, was documented in 10% of the patients. Megaloblastosis, hemolysis and anemia of chronic disease was found in 4%, 28% and 13% of the patients, respectively. Folate deficiency was significantly more common in the alcoholic patients (P = 0.01). Iron deficiency was thus the most common anemia in Thai patients with cirrhosis. The frequency of folate deficiency was not rare and the rate was comparable to data reported from western countries in spite of the Thai diet being relatively rich in folates.

Cytomorphologic and DNA cytometric features of hepatocellular carcinoma in fine needle aspirates.

OBJECTIVE: To classify hepatocellular carcinoma according to DNA ploidy patterns and to evaluate distinct cytomorphologic features of hepatocellular carcinoma that correlate with DNA ploidy patterns. STUDY DESIGN: Fine needle aspiration smears of 36 histologically proven hepatocellular carcinomas were performed for DNA measurement by image analysis after Feulgen restaining of the specimens. Nuclear features-prominent nucleoli, nuclear cleavage, nuclear area and nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio-were correlated with the DNA ploidy patterns. RESULTS: Of the 36 cases, 14 were either diploid (n = 7) or polyploid (n = 7), 19 tumors had a single aneuploid stemline, 2 cases had multiple stemlines, and 1 case had no discernible stemline. A preponderance of prominent nucleoli was seen in 7/7 diploid tumors (2c), 6/7 polyploid tumors (4c, 8c) and 6/8 aneuploid tumors (> 4c). Conspicuous nuclear cleavage in a high number of tumor cells was present substantially in tumors with large nuclear areas (4c, > 4c). CONCLUSION: Most hepatocellular carcinoma studied had a distinct stemline so that the tumors could be designated DNA diploid, polyploid or aneuploid. The prevalence of prominent nucleoli and nuclear cleavage was a distinguishing cytologic feature that could predict DNA ploidy patterns. No special association of the nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio with any of the ploidy groups was noted.

Caffeine clearance by two point analysis: a measure of liver function in chronic liver disease.

This study attempted to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters of caffeine in patients with chronic liver disease and in normal subjects and to define the two sampling times which are suitable for determining caffeine clearance in these patients. Ten decompensated and eight compensated cirrhotic patients, and nine patients with chronic hepatitis were given a 3.5 mg/kg single oral dose of caffeine, followed by measurement of serum caffeine concentrations at 0, 30, 60, 90 minutes and 3, 5, 10, 24 and 36 hours using the HPLC technique. Caffeine clearance and its elimination rate constant in the decompensated cirrhotic patients were significantly lower than those in the compensated cirrhotic patients and much lower than in normal subjects (p > 0.01). Caffeine clearance in chronic hepatitis patients was also significantly lower than in normal subjects. The volumes of distribution of caffeine in compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients and normal subjects were significantly different. There was also a significant difference between normal subjects and the chronic hepatitis group. Serum caffeine clearance showed a good correlation with Child Pugh's score at r = -0.788. Two sampling times within 10 to 24 hours after oral dose of caffeine served as the best sampling points for determination of caffeine clearance by the simple equation; Cl = kel approximately Vd (Vd is a fixed value in each group). It was clearly shown that caffeine clearance, calculated by two point analysis, would be a simple and useful method for measuring liver function in chronic liver disease.

The influence of dissemination of information on the changes of knowledge, attitude and acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination among hospital personnel in Chulalongkorn Hospital.

Lack of knowledge and negative attitudes were the main reasons for refusal, in a vaccination programme against hepatitis B using plasma-derived vaccine which was offered to the hospital personnel of Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok. Therefore, to ascertain whether an educational intervention among hospital personnel is effective in modifying acceptance of the vaccine, a quasi-experimental design (using a before and after approach) was used to compare the knowledge, attitudes and acceptance rate of hepatitis B vaccination among 1,915 hospital personnel. After dissemination of information, knowledge and attitudes improved significantly, and acceptance rates were increased from 56.9% to 77.7% (P < 0.0000). More specific educational efforts should be started before launching vaccination programmes of this kind in order to increase acceptance.

PIP: The potential for infection with hepatitis B vaccine is a serious threat to all health care workers, especially among hospital personnel frequently exposed to blood and its products. Chulalongkorn University Hospital is a 1400-bed university teaching hospital in Bangkok. Recognizing the risk of infection, it was planned to offer free vaccinations against hepatitis B using the Hevac B Pasteur plasma-derived vaccine to all hospital personnel. A pre-vaccination program survey of 1492 nursing personnel found the initial acceptance rate to be only 49.7%, with 39.2% undecided and 11.1% planning to not accept. 65.7% of the remaining 1299 personnel planned to accept the vaccine, with the lowest rate among physicians at 48.2%. Lack of knowledge and negative attitudes were the main reasons for refusal to accept the vaccine. The authors used a quasi-experimental before-after design to explore whether an educational intervention among hospital personnel would be effective in increasing the acceptance of the vaccine. Findings are based upon comparisons of the knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance rate of hepatitis B vaccination among 1915 hospital personnel. Levels of knowledge and attitudes were found to improve significantly after the information was disseminated, with acceptance rates increasing from 56.9% to 77.7%. This success highlights the potential merit of implementing targeted educational interventions before launching vaccinations programs of this kind in other settings.

Factors influencing acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination by hospital personnel in an area hyperendemic for hepatitis B.

A free-of-charge vaccination program against hepatitis B, in which plasma-derived vaccine was used, was offered to 1,299 hospital personnel of Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok. The initial acceptance rate for vaccination was 65.7%, with 10.0% nonacceptance and 24.3% undecided. The highest rates of acceptance were among medical students (75.5%), student nurses (68.8%), and newly graduated nurses (63.6%). The lowest rate of acceptance was among physicians (48.2%). Factors strongly associated with the acceptance of vaccination were nature of work, age of personnel (< or = 40 yr), number of years spent in profession (< or = 15 yr), knowledge of hepatitis B, confidence in vaccine efficacy and safety, no history of hepatitis B infection, and contact with blood or blood product. Different types of fear, as well as lack of knowledge, were the main reasons responsible for 46.2% of all refusals. More specific educational efforts about vaccine safety and efficacy may positively influence the acceptance of hepatitis vaccination program among health care personnel.

Esophageal tuberculosis presenting as intramural esophagogastric hematoma in a hemophiliac patient.

A spontaneous intramural esophagogastric hematoma developed in a patient with hemophilia A. The hematoma did not resolve after antihemophiliac factor replacement but ruptured into the stomach causing massive gastrointestinal bleeding. The associated enlarged right tracheobronchial gland and the histopathological finding of fibrocaseating granuloma at the esophagogastric junction indicated that the primary disorder was esophageal tuberculosis. The whole process responded rapidly to antituberculous treatment.

Effect of a selective restriction policy on antibiotic expenditure and use: an institutional model.

Strictly enforced antibiotic formulary restriction in combination with formulation of agreed guidelines for antibiotic use in common infection problems such as septicemia, febrile neutropenia, urinary tract infection, biliary sepsis, liver abscess, peritonitis, nosocomial pneumonia, soft tissue infection and purulent meningitis, generated a combined savings of 307,748.5 bahts or 13.5 per cent cost reduction over a 6 month period, and improved quality of use, appropriate 54.8 vs 67.5 per cent, statistically significance (P less than 0.002). Although this saving was offset in part by increased spending of unrestricted antibiotics, such as Penicillin and Gentamicin, an overall cost saving remained. In the months during the restrictions, no significant changes occurred regarding patients response and mortality. However, after the onset of the controls, it was revealed that antibiotics were more appropriately used afterwards. This study has shown, most importantly, that savings were achieved with no negative effect on good patient care. Moreover, the antibiotic use control was operationally successful, most house-staff and attending physicians, not only antibiotic evaluating team, have accepted the program in a very positive way. Overall, this program successfully achieved its initial goal, cost saving without compromising good medical practice. We are now continuing our program and also trying to modify so that it will be useful to all departments in the hospital.

Epidemiology of peptic ulcer disease in Thailand.

Peptic ulcers are common in all regions in Thailand. The true prevalence and incidence of peptic ulcer among the population can never be accurately assessed. National data compiled from official annual reports from provincial hospitals as well as hospital-based data are at best selective and carry several drawbacks in the process of data collection. some generalizations can be made nevertheless. Between 1981 and 1988, the hospitalization rate for peptic ulcer cases throughout the country remained fairly constant at around 111 to 112 per 100,000 population. At a large hospital in Bangkok, the proportions of gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers cases between 1983 and 1988 were comparable, with more gastric ulcers among females than the males. Mortality among hospitalized peptic ulcer cases declined from 3.4 in 1977 to approximately 2 cases per 100,000 population in 1981 and fell further slightly thereafter. Much more statistical compilation is needed, while clearer diagnostic criteria should be followed in documenting reporting peptic ulcer cases in hospitals in order to arrive at more meaningful interpretations.

Diagnostic approaches and treatment of peptic ulcer at Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok.

Gastroscopy is the main investigative tool in the diagnosis of peptic ulcers in Thailand. In spite of its potential diagnostic value, endoscopic biopsy for histologic diagnosis is reserved only for suspected malignant gastric ulcers. Regarding treatment, duodenal ulcers can be treated satisfactorily with either low-dose antacid or one of the various H2-blockers, while gastric ulcers show a fairly good healing response to site-protective agents. Further trials using potent acid inhibitors, antibiotics against helicobacter pylori and plaunotol are being investigated.

Chronic diarrhoea: a prospective study in Thai patients at Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok.

Fifty-five Thai patients with chronic diarrhoea were prospectively studied to find out the underlying causes. The aetiology was identified in 38.2%, uncertain in 29.1%, and unknown in 32.7% of the patients. In the group with a definitive aetiologic diagnosis, parasitic and infective causes were commoner than non-infective causes. Amoebiasis and giardiasis were more frequent than expected, such that empirical therapeutic trial with an antiprotozoal may be justified if initial routine investigations fail to uncover the cause of the diarrhoea. No significant clinical features were noted between the infective and the non-infective groups. Overall, repeated stool microscopy using the concentration technique was the most useful single investigation in approaching the chronic diarrhoea problem.

Paraquat poisoning: evidence of systemic toxicity after dermal exposure.

Exposure of the scrotal skin to a concentrated paraquat solution led to renal and respiratory failure and to hepatic damage with eventual recovery of the patient. Dermal exposure to paraquat, especially to the scrotum may produce serious systemic toxicity.

Aplastic anemia associated with submassive hepatic necrosis. Report of four cases.

Four cases of fatal aplastic anemia were associated with submassive hepatic necrosis. The subjects were males, ranging in age from 20 to 33 years. Pathogenesis remained obscure.