Study of Serum Homocysteine Level in Cirrhotic Ascitic Patients as a New Diagnostic Marker for Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Abstract Background SBP is the commonest life-threatening infection encountered in cirrhotic patients with ascites. It accounts for more than half of all infections. The outpatient prevalence of SBP is 1.5–3.5% and exceeds 10% in hospitalized patients. The immune dysfunction in decompensated cirrhotic patients along with vulnerability of gut mucosa leading to translocation of bacteria and bacterial endotoxins from bowel lumen into ascitic fluid (AF) underlines the pathogenesis of SBP Objective This study is to assess the value and the accuracy of serum Homocysteine Level in cirrhotic ascitic patients as a new diagnostic marker for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis Patients and Methods This case control study was conducted on 60 cirrhotic patients recruited from the outpatient clinic and the ward of hepatology department of Ain Shams University Hospitals, during the period from January 2021 to August 2021 Results This study was conducted in Ain Shams University ward and outpatient clinic of the Hepatology department. The study included 60 cirrhotic patients who were divided into 2 groups Conclusion Serum homocysteine level is elevated in cirrhotic patients with SBP. Serum homocysteine value of > 15.73 μmol/l had a sensitivity of 85.93%, and specificity of 83.45% for diagnosis of SBP. Serum homocysteine is positively correlated with severity of liver disease.