CLINICAL, DEMOGRAPHIC AND LABORATORY-ENDOSCOPIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH ESOPHAGEAL BLEEDING DUE TO LIVER CIRRHOSIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Relevance. Persistent elevation of portal venous pressure, most commonly resulting from viral- or alcohol-related liver cirrhosis, leads to the development of esophageal varices due to dilation of the submucosal venous plexus in the distal esophagus. Acute esophageal variceal bleeding is a life-threatening condition and remains one of the major challenges in modern gastroenterology and surgery.

Objective. To evaluate the clinical, demographic, laboratory, and endoscopic characteristics of patients with esophageal bleeding associated with liver cirrhosis and to assess hospitalization outcomes.

Materials and Methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and demographic data of 158 patients with portal hypertension and symptoms of esophageal bleeding. The study evaluated demographic characteristics, cirrhosis etiology, Child–Pugh class, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, severity of blood loss, presence of active bleeding on admission, laboratory findings, endoscopic characteristics of esophageal varices, and hospitalization outcomes.

Results. Esophageal bleeding occurred more frequently in men than in women, with more than 90 %of cases observed in patients older than 40 years. Esophageal varices were most commonly located in the lower third of the esophagus (63.9%), while severe blood loss was documented in 75.3 % of patients.

Conclusions. The findings have important clinical implications for prognostic assessment and the selection of optimal treatment strategies for patients with esophageal bleeding associated with liver cirrhosis.

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