Oxygenation abnormalities in normoxemic patients with mild liver cirrhosis.
OBJECTIVE
Nitric oxide (NO) production is enhanced in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). Although most patients with mild LC have neither dyspnea nor platypnea, they might have mild oxygenation abnormalities due to intrapulmonary vasodilatation caused by increased NO. We investigated whether oxygenation abnormalities, such as hypoxemia and orthodeoxia, are present in patients with mild LC.


METHODS
We investigated 148 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver diseases such as CH (noncirrhotic chronic hepatitis) (n=46), LC(A), LC(B), and LC(C) (LC Child's A, B, and C) (n=18, 51, 33, respectively). The oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) in the supine and upright positions was determined in patients and controls (normal subjects, n=29). The change in SpO2 on standing was defined as deltaSpO2. NO output in exhaled air was measured in 16 patients.


RESULTS
Four patients [two LC(B) and two LC(C)] had hypoxemia (supine SpO2< or =94% and/or upright SpO2< or =94%). Although there was no intergroup difference in the supine SpO2 or the upright SpO2, the deltaSpO2 decreased [control, +0.2+/-0.6%; CH, +0.1+/-0.9%; LC(A), -0.3+/-0.8%; LC(B), -0.2+/-0.9%; LC(C), -0.5+/-1.1%; mean+/-SD; p=0.005] with worsening liver disease, and the prevalence of desaturation on standing (deltaSpO2< or =-1%) increased [control, 7%; CH, 20%; LC(A), 33%; LC(B), 35%; LC(C), 42%; p=0.01]. The NO output was inversely correlated with deltaSpO2 (r=-0.66, p=0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
Desaturation on standing is present in one-third of normoxemic patients with mild LC of Child's A, and is associated with the severity of liver disease. This postural desaturation is correlated with the exhaled NO, which suggests that intrapulmonary vasodilatation may play some role in this phenomenon.
Nagata
Taiji
T
Second Department of Medicine, University of Tokyo.
Matsumoto
Akihiro
A
Uehara
Yoshio
Y
Tanaka
Goh
G
Oonuma
Hitoshi
H
Hara
Kei
K
Igarashi
Kouichi
K
Hazama
Hisanori
H
Hirata
Yasunobu
Y
Shiratori
Yasushi
Y
Omata
Masao
M
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D011187:Posture; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D010100:Oxygen