Analysis of Prothrombin Time in Hepatitis C Patients

Background and Objectives: Various clotting proteins are synthesized in the liver and any impairment in the liver results in multiple coagulation abnormalities.To determine the prevalence of increased level of Prothrombin Time (PT) in patients with cirrhosis and to compare the levels of Prothrombin Time along with International Normalized Ratio (INR) in patients of Hepatitis C with and without Liver Cirrhosis.METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study was conducted in Sheikh Zaid Hospital, Lahore in the Gastroenterology department.The study was conducted during the 3 months from May to July, 2023.The study involved 80 patients, out of which 43 were females and 37 were males with multiple age groups ranging from 30 to 85 years.These patients were further divided into 55 patients with Hepatitis C without liver cirrhosis and 25 patients with Hepatitis C with liver Cirrhosis.Immuno-Assay Special Chemistry Analyzer (Access 2) and Sysmex CS-1600 were used to detect the HCV positive patients and to analyze the coagulation profile.A self-designed Performa was used to collect the patient data.Data were entered and analyzed by using excel and displayed by using Tables andBar Charts.RESULTS: The results indicated that out of 80 patients Prothrombin Time (PT) was normal in 26 patients of Hepatitis C without Cirrhosis, high in 34 patients of Hepatitis C with and without Cirrhosis, and extremely high in 10 patients of Hepatitis C with Cirrhosis.Similarly, International Normalized Ratio (INR) was normal in 14 patients of Hepatitis C without Cirrhosis, high in 59 patients of Hepatitis C with and without Cirrhosis, and abnormally high in 7 patients of Hepatitis C with Cirrhosis.CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study is the abnormalities in the coagulation parameter like Prothrombin Time (PT) depend on the severity and intensity of liver disease.