A Non Invasive Method for Diagnosis and Assessment of Portal Hypertension in Egyptian Cirrhotic Patients Using Plasma Malondialdehyde Level

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is a common disease affecting Egyptian patients. Complications of liver cirrhosis usually start once portal hypertension increases. To the authors' knowledge, there are no available non-invasive methods for assessment of the severity of portal hypertension. This study evaluated the value of plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA) -a lipid peroxide marker for oxidative stress, as a diagnostic biomarker, to assess severity of Portal Hypertension in Egyptian cirrhotic patients. It is a case-control study conducted on a total of 150 Egyptian patients divided into two groups. GI: 100 patients diagnosed as liver cirrhosis with esophageal varices proved by upper GIT endoscopy. GII: 50 normal controls. Serum MDA was measured by ELISA technique.The results showed that MDA assay between the two groups revealed significant statistical difference between the two studied groups. Correlation between MDA and the clinical parameters in the cirrhotic group showed a significant positive correlation with ascites, Child Pugh score, varices grade, while there was no correlation with sex.