Thus, alcoholic cirrhosis is of major concern in North East India as majority patients are in most productive age group and presented with advanced disease. Short-term mortality was high among alcoholic cirrhotics. Proper education and legislation are essential to mitigate the consequences of this disease.

Background: Data regarding Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) patients from North East India is scarce and presentation to hospital is often late. We aim to study their clinical profile, aetiology of underlying chronic liver disease, precipitating factors, predictors of mortality and their short term outcome (3 months).Methods: Among 1000 consecutive patients of any form of acute decompensation, 245 patients diagnosed as ACLF were prospectively studied. Comparison was done between survivors versus non survivors of ACLF and between ACLF and Non ACLF patients.Results: Mean age of ACLF patients was 44.2±10.3 years and male:female ratio was 13.4:1. Common causes of underlying cirrhosis in ACLF was alcoholic liver disease, 210 (85.7%), Hepatitis B virus related cirrhosis, 20 (8.2%), Hepatitis C virus related cirrhosis, 6 (2.4%) and cryptogenic in 8 (3.3%). Precipitating causes were alcoholic hepatitis in 98 (46.6%) among alcoholic cirrhosis, acute flare of Hepatitis B infection in 12 patients (60%) among Hepatitis B related cirrhosis, recent use of drugs in 110 (44.8%), sepsis in 71 (28.9%), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in 36 (14.7%), urinary tract infection in 36 (14.7%), acute hepatitis A in 5 (2%) and acute hepatitis E in 3 (1.2%). hepatic encephalopathy, low sodium, high International Normalised Ratio (INR) were found to be significantly associated with high mortality. Increasing number of organ failures is associated with increasing risk of death.Conclusions: ACLF is characterized by rapid deterioration especially when multiorgan failure sets in due to certain precipitating factors in a previously diagnosed or undiagnosed chronic liver disease.

The present study aimed to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of HBV in chronic HBV infected cases from northeast India (NEI), since scanty data are available from the region which has a predominant ethnically distinct tribal population. A total of 523 clinically diagnosed index chronic HBV infected cases and 172 asymptomatic patients (based on family screening) were enrolled with informed consent. Patients were stratified based on serology, imaging, pathology, and clinical data and grouped as chronic HBV and cirrhotic cohorts. Analysis for serum HBV DNA levels and HBV genotyping was performed, and was statistically co-related with disease severity. Males were more prone to chronic HBV infection. Majority of the patients who had Chronic HBV infection based on family screening were females (59.88%), majorly wives of index patients. Mean viral load in Chronic HBV patients was almost 4.5-folds higher than cirrhosis patients, and was significantly associated with e-antigen positive status(P < 0.001) in both groups. HBV genotype D was the most prevalent genotype (62.30%) in NEI. Mixed genotype infection of A + D was found from Assam, along with C + D cases (1.29%) cumulatively. There is a high prevalence of HBV genotype C (13.96%) in our studied cohort which was found to be associated with higher viral load(P = 0.018), e-antigen positivity(P = 0.043), and increased cirrhosis risk compared to Chronic HBV cases [OR = 1.670]. Family contacts in NEI are prone to infection with HBV and development of Chronic HBV. Higher presence of e-positive cases and genotype C along with the mixed genotypes in NEI is unique and of significance with reference to predisposition to disease severity and even response to antiviral therapy.