Coagulopathies in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Presenting to DHQ Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan

The liver develops fibrosis and nodules due to persistent damage, altering its natural lobular organization, known as cirrhosis. Various assaults such as toxic substances, viral infections, autoimmunity, or genetic disorders can damage the liver. Each lesion leads to fibrosis, or scar tissue formation, initially maintaining its functionality. Objective: To determine the frequency of coagulopathies occurring in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the General Medicine department at DHQ Teaching Hospital, D.I Khan, from June 12, 2022, to December 12, 2022. A total of 240 patients were recruited using non-probability consecutive sampling to determine the frequency of coagulopathies occurring in patients with liver cirrhosis. Coagulation tests, including prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, were performed. Data on age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking status, and coagulopathies were recorded on a pre-designed proforma. Analysis was done using SPSS 20.0. Means and standard deviations were calculated for age and frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Coagulopathies were stratified by gender, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking status to assess effect modifications. Post-stratification chi-square tests were applied, with P < 0.05 as significant. Results: The mean age was 45.56 ± 3.357 years. Males comprised 127 (52.9%) and females 113 (47.1%). Age distribution was 12.9% (20-30 years), 24.6% (31-40 years), 47.5% (41-50 years), and 15.0% (51-60 years). Coagulopathies were present in 74 (30.8%) patients, while 166 (69.2%) had none. Ninety patients (37.5%) had normal PT, lasting less than 15 seconds (mean + SD = 11.28 ± 2.02 sec), while 121 patients (50.4%) had prolonged PT (mean + SD = 22.94 ± 5.93 sec) and indicates a statistically significant difference of PT. Conclusion: Patients with cirrhosis had significantly higher and prolonged PT and APTT values, indicating an increased risk of coagulopathies.