[Respiratory functional impairment in patients with liver cirrhosis].
End stage of liver disease can cause the respiratory tract dysfunction. Early diagnosis of hepatopulmonary syndrome can affect the therapy and determine the timing and risks of orthotopic liver transplantation. The aim of the study was to determine the respiratory distress in relation to liver damage assessed with scoring scales of Child-Pugh, MELD, GAHS, as well as fibrinogen and albumin levels.


METHODS
Respiratory disorders were diagnosed by spirometry and plethysmography. The study included 71 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The results obtained were analyzed using the nonparametric Spearman correlation test and U-Mann-Whitney test.


RESULTS
Analysis showed that the severity of liver damage leads to significant deterioration in DLCO/VA, (Child-Pugh: r = -0.22; p < 0.04; the concentration of albumin: r = -0.24; p < 0.03). Depending on the scale GAHS correlation between the severity of liver failure and the deterioration rate Tiffeneau (FEV1/VC; r = -0.30; p < 0.004), reduction in TGV (r = -0.39; p < 0.0004), TLC (r = -0.27; p < 0.01) and RV (r = -0.31; p < 0.004) has been observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with liver cirrhosis there are mainly restrictive pulmonary disorders and the difficulty of gas diffusion in the alveoli. These disorders correlate with the severity of liver damage assessed with Child-Pugh or GAHS classifications and albumin concentration.
Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony w Białymstoku, Oddział Anestezjologii i Intensywnej Terapii.
Andrzej
A
Siemieniako
Joanna
J
Pogorzelska
Tadeusz Wojciech
TW
Łapiński
Robert
R
Flisiak
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests