Comparison of the hemodynamics between patients with alcoholic or HCV-related cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hyperdynamic circulation, which is characterized by increased cardiac output (CO), normal or low arterial blood pressure (BP), and decreased systemic vascular resistance (SVR), occurs in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). However, differences of hemodynamics between patients with alcoholic LC (ALC) and viral LC are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to compare hemodynamics between patients with alcoholic LC and patients with HCV-related LC (CLC).

METHODOLOGY

Eighteen healthy Japanese volunteers (HV), 10 patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), 46 patients with CLC, and 22 ALC patients with ALC were included in the study. The CLC group was divided into two subgroups (34 non-ascites and 12 ascites patients), as was the ALC group (11 non-ascites and 11 ascites patients). The CO, portal blood flow (PBF), and hepatic congestion index (HCI) were measured by ultrasound.

RESULTS

The CO of the CLC and the ALC groups was higher than that of the HV group, while the SVR of the CLC and ALC groups was lower than that of the HV group. These changes were more marked in the ALC group. The HCI of the ascitic ALC subgroup was higher than that of the HV group. PBF did not differ among the CLC, ALC and HV groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Progression of liver diseases such as ALC or CLC leads to a hyperdynamic circulation. The decrease of SVR was more marked in ALC patients than that CLC patients and an increase of the HCI was only found in ALC patients with ascites.