Lipid profile in assessing the severity of cirrhosis

Background: Cirrhosis is a common hepatological disorder seen in clinical practice. Liver plays an essential role in lipid metabolism, several stages of lipid synthesis and transportation. It is reasonable to expect an abnormal lipid profile in those with severe liver dysfunction Aim: To assess the lipid profile abnormalities in patients with cirrhosis of liver correlate with the severity of cirrhosis and whether lipid profile can be used to predict severe cirrhosis of liver. Materials and methods: This is a cross sectional study performed for a period of 2 years. Age and sex matched controls were selected from the patients attending Out Patient Department of Gastroenterology. 150 patients with cirrhosis of liver were included in the study. Diagnosis of cirrhosis of liver was based on characteristic findings. Results: Mean serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides were significantly (p <0.05) lower in patients with cirrhosis of liver when compared to healthy controls. Serum lipids progressively decreased with increasing severity of cirrhosis as assessed by Child criteria and MELD score. There was no statistically significant difference in serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides among alcoholic and non alcoholic cirrhotic patients with similar severity of cirrhosis. Among the various parameters of lipid profile, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol had the highest areas under the roc curve; hence may be considered as the best predictors of Child C cirrhosis and MELD > 24 respectively. Conclusion: Among the various parameters of lipid profile, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol have the highest areas under the roc curve; hence may be considered as the best predictors of Child C cirrhosis and MELD > 24 respectively.