Studying the aetiology of portal hypertension in Egyptian Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Portal hypertension is a clinical syndrome in which the portal venous pressure gradient between portal vein and inferior vena cava exceeding 5mmHg. Clinically significant portal hypertension is diagnosed when clinical manifestations of the disease appear or the portal pressure gradient exceeding 10 mmHg. For better management, it is important to determine the underlying cause. Objective: To evaluate the aetiology of portal hypertension in pediatric who attending the hepatology clinic at El-Demerdash hospital, Ain Shams University. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was done in the department of pediatric hepatology clinic at El-Demerdash hospital, Ain Shams University on 91 consecutive cases of portal hypertension enrolled from 2016 to 2019. All pediatric patients were subjected to full history, clinical examination, investigations and questionnaire about effect of portal hypertension and its complications on QOL. Results: Age of children and adolescent was 5 months to 16 years with mean age of 5.55±4.30y and male to female ration was 1.5:1. Out of 91 children (51, 56.1%) developed portal hypertension due to extrahepatic causes and (39, 42.9%) due to hepatic causes. In extrahepatic causes (portal vein thrombosis was found 36, (39.6%) and Budd Chiari syndrome 15(16.5%)). On the other hand, hepatic causes (cong. hepatic fibrosis (CHF) was found in 21(23.1%), cases, hepatic cirrhosis 12(13.2%), extrahepatic biliary atresia 3(3.3%) and autoimmune hepatitis with secondary hepatic fibrosis 3(3.3%)). In extrahepatic cases first variant bleed much earlier than hepatic cases. Conclusion: Extrahepatic disease were the most common aetiology of portal hypertension in studied cases. Portal vein thrombosis in extrahepatic cases and congenital hepatic fibrosis in intrahepatic cases were the most common causes.