title: Relationship of portal pressure, anorectal varices and hemorrhoids in cirrhotic patients.
abstract: In a prospective study of 103 consecutive cirrhotic patients a high prevalence (43%) of anorectal varices was found compared with only 2% in 103 age- and sex-matched control subjects (p less than 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the prevalences of hemorrhoids in cirrhotic patients and in control subjects (79% vs. 83%, p greater than 0.05). The hepatic venous pressure gradient of cirrhotic patients with anorectal varices was similar to cirrhotic patients without anorectal varices (14 +/- 6 mmHg, n = 22, vs. 16 +/- 7 mmHg, n = 39, p greater than 0.05. There was no significant difference in the hepatic venous pressure gradient between cirrhotic patients with and without hemorrhoids (15 +/- 6 mmHg, n = 47, vs. 16 +/- 8 mmHg, n = 14, p greater than 0.05). The prevalence of anorectal varices and hemorrhoids in cirrhotic patients had no relation to Child-Pugh's grading, esophageal varices with and without sclerotherapy and ascites. We conclude that anorectal varices are common in cirrhotic patients. Anorectal varices and hemorrhoids are not related to the degree of portal pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000098:blood supply*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000502:physiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012007:Rectum / Q000098:blood supply*; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology