MELD SCORE CORRELATION WITH LABORATORY FINDINGS AND COMPLICATIONS OF HEPATITIS C CAUSED LIVER CIRRHOSIS.

Introduction: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a scoring system used to estimate the severity of chronic liver disease. Score is based on objective variables and predicts survival among different populations of patients. Study Aim. The aim of the study was to retrospectively analyze potential connection between MELD score and laboratory findings and complications of hepatitis C caused liver cirrhosis.

Materials and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study based on data from Riga East Clinical University Hospital from the time period of 2010 to 2014 was performed. Original protocol and database were developed with consequential data statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics ver.20.0.

Results: In total 221 cirrhosis cases were enrolled in the study. 128 (58%) cases were male and 93 (42%) female. Mean age was 52.7 ± 13.4 years. Statistically significant correlation was found between leukocytes (r = 0.4, p < 0.001), blood urea (r = 0.4, p < 0.001), serum albumin (r = -0.4, p < 0.001), C-reactive protein (r = 0.4, p < 0.001) and MELD score. Higher leukocytes, higher urea, C-reactive protein and lower serum albumin rates give higher MELD score. At the time of hospitalization 208 (94%) of the patients had different complications of liver cirrhosis. Correlation between MELD score varied significantly with esophageal varices (r = 0.2, p < 0.05) and esophageal vein bleeding (r = 0.2, p < 0.05). Results show, if patient is present with esophageal varices and esophageal vein bleeding, MELD score is higher.

Conclusion: Patients with higher leukocytes, blood urea nitrogen and lower serum albumin level are presenting higher MELD score. In patients who presented with esophageal varices and esophageal vein bleeding, higher MELD score was observed.