Research Paper - Current Pediatric Research (2021) Volume 25, Issue 9

Portal hypertension among Egyptian children and adolescents (single center study).

Portal hypertension is a clinical syndrome in which the portal venous pressure gradient between the portal vein and inferior vena cava exceeding 5 mmHg. 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. This study aimed to evaluate the aetiology, presentation and quality of life in pediatric portal hypertension patients. This cross-sectional study was done on ninety-one consecutive cases of portal hypertension enrolled from 2016 to 2019. Demographic data, etiology, clinical presentation, endoscopic interventions, and quality of life were all assessed. The mean age of participants was 5.55 ± 4.30 years with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1. Out of 91 children, 56.1% developed portal hypertension due to extrahepatic causes and 42.9% due to hepatic causes. In extrahepatic causes portal vein obstruction was the most common aetiology representing 39.6% Splenomegaly was the commonest presentation of PHT and esophageal varices were the commonest complication. QoL scores, total and individual domains, were lower in all our PHT children. Conclusion: Extra hepatic portal vein obstruction was the most common etiology of portal hypertension in studied cases. Poor QOL was reported in all patients irrespective of the etiology of portal hypertension.

Author(s): Reham I Abdelmageed, Lerine B El Shazli, Mayada A Fathy, Asmaa W Abdelaziz*

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