HEMATOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH DISEASE SEVERITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE: A CROSSSECTIONAL STUDY FROM A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN WESTERN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Background: Hematological abnormalities are common in chronic liver disease (CLD) and contribute significantly todisease progression and clinical outcomes. Their association with disease severity may provide useful prognosticinformation. The objective is to evaluate hematological abnormalities in patients with chronic liver disease and determinetheir association with disease severity using the Child–Turcotte–Pugh (CTP) score. Materials and Methods: This hospitalbasedcross-sectional study included 161 adult patients with chronic liver disease. Clinical evaluation, complete blood count,peripheral blood smear, coagulation profile, and liver function tests were performed. Disease severity was assessed using theCTP classification. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Chi-square test, and Spearman'scorrelation. Results: The mean age of participants was 54.25 ± 11.78 years, with males comprising 70.2% of the studypopulation. Alcohol-related CLD was the most common etiology (34.8%). Anemia (83.2%) and thrombocytopenia (74.5%)were the predominant hematological abnormalities. Mean hemoglobin and platelet count decreased significantly withincreasing CTP class (p = 0.030 and p < 0.001, respectively), whereas total leukocyte count, prothrombin time, and INRincreased significantly (p < 0.001). Platelet count showed a significant negative correlation with CTP score (r = −0.475, p <0.001), while prothrombin time (r = 0.552) and INR (r = 0.543) demonstrated significant positive correlations. Conclusion:Hematological abnormalities are highly prevalent in patients with chronic liver disease and are closely associated withworsening disease severity. Routine hematological and coagulation parameters may serve as simple, cost-effective adjunctsfor assessing disease progression and guiding clinical management.