Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhotic Patients: Risk Factors Involved

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with the occurrence of portal thrombosis in cirrhotic patients at the hepatology and gastroenterology department of Cocody University Hospital. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective analytical study of the unpaired case-control type, lasting 5 years from January 2018 to December 2022, covering 117 files of cirrhotic patients, including 21 cases of portal venous thrombosis (PVT) and 96 witnesses. The risk factors studied were age, sex, Child-Pugh score, ascites, jaundice, edema of the lower limbs, digestive bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, etiologies of liver cirrhosis, prothrombin rate, transaminases, bilirubin, albumin, endoscopic signs of portal hypertension, propranolol intake, platelets, and hemoglobin. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with the occurrence of PVT. Results: The hospital prevalence of cirrhosis was 12.9%, the average age of patients was 49.2 ± 14.8 years with a male predominance (sex ratio = 1.43), and viral hepatitis B was the main cause (48.7%). Jaundice, portal hypertension, gastropathy, and anemia were the risk factors associated with the occurrence of PVT in cirrhotics in the univariate analysis. After multivariate regression, portal hypertension gastropathy (OR = 4.4; regression coefficient β = 1.59; CI = 1.6 - 12.4; p = 0.004) was significantly associated with the occurrence of PVT, while anemia was a protective factor (OR = 0.2; regression coefficient β = −1.61; CI = 0.1 - 0.9; p = 0.03). Conclusion: Patients with portal hypertension gastropathy are more likely to develop portal vein thrombosis during cirrhosis.