Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy

Background. Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is a common anomaly with potential for bleeding found in portal hypertension. Blood ammonia levels correlate well with liver disease severity and existence of portosystemic shunts. Increased ammonia results in vasodilation and hepatic stellate cell a...

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Main Authors: Ferial El-Kalla, Loai Mansour, Abdelrahman Kobtan, Asmaa Elzeftawy, Lobna Abo Ali, Sherief Abd-Elsalam, Sahar Elyamani, Mohamed Yousef, I. Amer, H. Mourad, Mohamed Elhendawy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Gastroenterology Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9067583
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author Ferial El-Kalla
Loai Mansour
Abdelrahman Kobtan
Asmaa Elzeftawy
Lobna Abo Ali
Sherief Abd-Elsalam
Sahar Elyamani
Mohamed Yousef
I. Amer
H. Mourad
Mohamed Elhendawy
author_facet Ferial El-Kalla
Loai Mansour
Abdelrahman Kobtan
Asmaa Elzeftawy
Lobna Abo Ali
Sherief Abd-Elsalam
Sahar Elyamani
Mohamed Yousef
I. Amer
H. Mourad
Mohamed Elhendawy
author_sort Ferial El-Kalla
collection DOAJ
description Background. Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is a common anomaly with potential for bleeding found in portal hypertension. Blood ammonia levels correlate well with liver disease severity and existence of portosystemic shunts. Increased ammonia results in vasodilation and hepatic stellate cell activation causing and exacerbating portal hypertension. Objective. To assess the relation of blood ammonia to the presence and severity of portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhosis. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 381 cirrhotics undergoing screening for esophageal varices (EV) divided into a portal hypertensive gastropathy group (203 patients with EV and PHG), esophageal varix group (41 patients with EV but no PHG), and control group (137 patients with no EV or PHG). A full clinical examination, routine laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasonography, child score calculation, and blood ammonia measurement were performed for all patients. Results. Blood ammonia, portal vein, splenic vein, and splenic longitudinal diameters were significantly higher and platelet counts lower in patients with EV and EV with PHG than controls. Patients having EV with PHG had significantly higher bilirubin and ammonia than those with EV but no PHG. Severe PHG was associated with significantly higher ammonia, EV grades, and superior location and a lower splenic longitudinal diameter than mild PHG. The PHG score showed a positive correlation with blood ammonia and a negative correlation with splenic longitudinal diameter. Conclusions. Blood ammonia levels correlate with the presence, severity, and score of portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhosis suggesting a causal relationship and encouraging trials of ammonia-lowering treatments for the management of severe PHG with a tendency to bleed.
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spelling doaj-art-597b8c8b3fe741ae87ac4d27ccc3ca2e2025-08-20T03:34:37ZengWileyGastroenterology Research and Practice1687-61211687-630X2018-01-01201810.1155/2018/90675839067583Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive GastropathyFerial El-Kalla0Loai Mansour1Abdelrahman Kobtan2Asmaa Elzeftawy3Lobna Abo Ali4Sherief Abd-Elsalam5Sahar Elyamani6Mohamed Yousef7I. Amer8H. Mourad9Mohamed Elhendawy10Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptHepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr Elsheikh, EgyptClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptTropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, EgyptBackground. Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is a common anomaly with potential for bleeding found in portal hypertension. Blood ammonia levels correlate well with liver disease severity and existence of portosystemic shunts. Increased ammonia results in vasodilation and hepatic stellate cell activation causing and exacerbating portal hypertension. Objective. To assess the relation of blood ammonia to the presence and severity of portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhosis. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 381 cirrhotics undergoing screening for esophageal varices (EV) divided into a portal hypertensive gastropathy group (203 patients with EV and PHG), esophageal varix group (41 patients with EV but no PHG), and control group (137 patients with no EV or PHG). A full clinical examination, routine laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasonography, child score calculation, and blood ammonia measurement were performed for all patients. Results. Blood ammonia, portal vein, splenic vein, and splenic longitudinal diameters were significantly higher and platelet counts lower in patients with EV and EV with PHG than controls. Patients having EV with PHG had significantly higher bilirubin and ammonia than those with EV but no PHG. Severe PHG was associated with significantly higher ammonia, EV grades, and superior location and a lower splenic longitudinal diameter than mild PHG. The PHG score showed a positive correlation with blood ammonia and a negative correlation with splenic longitudinal diameter. Conclusions. Blood ammonia levels correlate with the presence, severity, and score of portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhosis suggesting a causal relationship and encouraging trials of ammonia-lowering treatments for the management of severe PHG with a tendency to bleed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9067583
spellingShingle Ferial El-Kalla
Loai Mansour
Abdelrahman Kobtan
Asmaa Elzeftawy
Lobna Abo Ali
Sherief Abd-Elsalam
Sahar Elyamani
Mohamed Yousef
I. Amer
H. Mourad
Mohamed Elhendawy
Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
Gastroenterology Research and Practice
title Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
title_full Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
title_fullStr Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
title_full_unstemmed Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
title_short Blood Ammonia Level Correlates with Severity of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy
title_sort blood ammonia level correlates with severity of cirrhotic portal hypertensive gastropathy
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9067583
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