DECOMPENSATED CIRRHOSIS

Objective: The objective of the study is to find out, the levels of thyroid hormonesin serum of the patients having decompensate cirrhosis and to determine the frequency of signsand symptoms of thyroid dysfunctions in such patients. Study design: Prospective descriptivestudy. Setting: All medical wards of Civil Hospital and Ojha campus, Dow University of HealthSciences, Karachi, Pakistan. Period: May 2013 to January 2015. Methodology: 76 patientshaving decompensated liver cirrhosis with various presentations, which were fulfilling theinclusion and exclusion criteria and were admitted in medical wards during the study period,were included in this study. Detailed history and examination of each case was performed.Thyroid hormone levels were performed along with other relative laboratory investigations andthe results were obtained. Results: Out of 76 patients 58 patients had low serum T3 levels,whereas 18 had normal T3 levels. 65 patients had normal T4 levels and 11 had low serum T4levels. The TSH levels were found normal in 74 patients and two patients had raised TSH levels.Conclusion: It is concluded that T3 levels is low in cirrhotic patients but at the same time T4 andTSH levels remains normal in majority of cases and the patients remain euthyroid. As far as theclinical scenario is concern, no significance was found in the frequency of sign and symptomsof thyroid dysfunction. Most of the patients did not show signs and symptoms of hyper andhypothyroids.