Infections in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis and in Immediate Post-Liver Transplant Period, NOUMAN EL-GAREM, AMANY SHOLKAMY, INAS F.K. MALATY, AMANY A. EL-KHOLY and MAHMOUD G. OMAR
Abstract
Cirrhosis is considered an immunocompromised state that leads to a variety of infections, which are associated with high mortality rate. Hospitalized patients with cirrhosis are at the highest risk of developing infection, especially in those with gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage. The aim of the study was to detect types of infections in patients with liver cirrhosis and immediate post-liver transplant period (first week).
Patients and Methods: Clinical signs of infections and their sites were detected in 40 age and sex matched patients with liver cirrhosis and 8 patients in immediate (first week) post-liver transplant period in Internal Medicine Department of Kasr Al-Ainy Hospital and Kasr Al-Aiпу liver transplant unit, Cairo University between September 2014 and March 2015.
Results: The most common causes of infections in post-liver transplant patients were combined urinary tract infection (UT') and infected surgical wound (50%), pneumonia (37.5%) and UT' (12.5%) and in patients with liver cirrhosis, the most common causes of infections were Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) (37.5%), pneumonia (25%), cellulitis (22.5%) and urinary tract infections (7.5%).
Conclusions: Post-operative wound infection, pneumonia and urinary tract infections are potential causes of morbidity in immediate post-liver transplant period. Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP), pneumonia and cellulitis were common causes of morbidity so measures should be taken to reduce their incidence.