Causes of portal hypertension in children.

Abstract

Objective: To determine different causes of portal hypertension in children. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Medicine, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Department of Medical Emergency, The Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan. Period: 3^rd April 2019 to 2^nd October 2019. Material & Methods: A total of 71 children presenting with portal hypertension aged 1 month to 15 years of either gender were included. Newborns or children with congenital heart diseases were excluded. Patient samples were collected for complete blood counts and liver function tests, Ultrasound Abdomen and color Doppler ultrasonography were done for portal vein pressure to determine various causes of portal hypertension. Results: Overall, mean age was 9.00 ± 3.64 years. Out of the 71 patients, 51 (71.83%) were male and 20 (28.17%) were females. Different causes of portal hypertension were portal vein thrombosis in 48 (67.61%), liver cirrhosis in 14 (19.72%) and biliary atresia in 9 (12.68%) children. Conclusion: Among children having portal hypertension, portal vein thrombosis was noted to be the commonest cause followed by liver cirrhosis and biliary atresia.