Applicability of MELD as a short-term prognostic indicator in patients with chronic liver disease: an Indian experience.

BACKGROUND: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), which employs objective variables, statistical weighting and a continuous scale, has replaced the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classification as the scoring system of choice in several liver transplant centers. However, the predictive ability of MELD has never been prospectively evaluated in India. The aim of this study was to examine the MELD score, the CTP score and the recently proposed modified CTP score in Indian patients with liver cirrhosis to determine their correlation and compare their prognostic significance for short-term survival. METHODS: A total of 76 patients with cirrhosis (mean age 46.97 years) were prospectively evaluated and followed up for 6 months. MELD score, CTP score and modified CTP score were calculated at baseline. The correlation between variables was evaluated by Pearson's correlation test. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cutoff values for each score with the best sensitivity and specificity in discriminating between patients who survived and those who died. RESULTS: Alcoholic liver disease was the most common (50%) etiology of cirrhosis. MELD score and CTP score showed very good correlation (Pearson correlation r = 0.983). ROC curve showed area under curve (c-statistics) for MELD score, CTP score and modified CTP score as 0.764, 0.804 and 0.817, respectively. CONCLUSION: The MELD score was not found to be superior to CTP score and modified CTP score for short-term prognostication of patients with cirrhosis in this study.

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy: Indian scenario.

BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy has been reported to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in liver transplant recipients. However, there is scant data from Asia. With liver transplantation programs gradually being established in the region, Asian hepatologists are bound to face this entity. METHODS: Thirty patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 30 with cirrhosis of nonalcoholic etiology were enrolled, after excluding those with recent bleeding, gross ascites, severe anemia and other conditions which could alter cardiovascular status. Thirty healthy subjects without cardiovascular risk factors were enrolled as controls. Hepatic function status was assessed by biochemical tests and prothrombin time. Cardiac structural and functional assessment was performed non-invasively using transthoracic echocardiography. RESULTS: Deceleration time was significantly (P < 0.05) prolonged in both the cirrhotic groups (235.03 +/- 44.23 ms and 255.87 +/- 46.16 ms) compared to controls (185.83 +/- 25.04 ms), indicative of diastolic dysfunction in cirrhotic patients. Other parameters, viz. ejection fraction, E : A ratio, left ventricular relative wall thickness, interventricular septal thickness and left ventricular systolic as well as diastolic chamber dimensions did not show statistically significant difference between any of the groups. Cardiac structural and functional parameters were not correlated with the severity of liver dysfunction. There was no statistically significant difference between the alcoholic and nonalcoholic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Asian patients with cirrhosis do have evidence of diastolic dysfunction. Cardiac structural and functional parameters did not correlate with the severity of liver dysfunction. Cardiac dysfunction seemed to be the consequence of cirrhosis itself, rather than of alcohol.

Profile of chronic small-bowel diarrhea in adults in Western India: a hospital-based study.

BACKGROUND: Small-bowel diarrhea is reported to account for 10% of all cases of chronic diarrhea. Data on the etiology and clinical presentation of chronic small-bowel diarrhea in adult Indians is scarce. METHODS: 50 patients (mean age 32.8 years; 26 men) with chronic small bowel diarrhea were evaluated clinically, and investigated to determine etiology. The diagnosis of small-bowel diarrhea was based on history, stool volume and associated symptoms. RESULTS: Abdominal pain (n=22, 44%) and weight loss (n=37, 74%) were the most common symptoms, apart from diarrhea. Anemia (70%) and hypoalbuminemia (48%) were other important biochemical abnormalities. Intestinal tuberculosis (26%) and celiac disease (26%) were the most common causes of chronic small-bowel diarrhea. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis of intestine and celiac disease are common causes of small-bowel diarrhea in our population. Tropical sprue seems to be a rare cause.

Intestinal amyloidosis presenting as malabsorption syndrome.

Intestinal amyloidosis presenting with small bowel diarrhoea with malabsorption is an infrequent clinical entity. The present case report includes such a case and discusses the diagnostic approach in such a case.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus and extrahepatic portal vein obstruction: a causal association?

So far, no association has been described between multifactiorial disorders such as insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus and extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO), which is the most common cause of extra-hepatic portal hypertension in children. We describe 3 cases of EHPVO who developed type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Hepatic granuloma in chronic hepatitis C.

We report the findings in a 54-year-old male with chronic hepatitis C with granulomas liver biopsy. Unfortunately, this patient died before treatment could be started.