Thrombocytemia as a predictor of portal hypertension in schistosomiasis

• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Marilia Rodrigues Freitas de [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2000
• Outros Autores: Toledo, Carlos Fischer de [UNIFESP], Borges, Durval Rosa [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.unifesp.br/11600/43492; http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1005535808464
• topic: platelets; schistosomiasis; portal hypertension; hypersplenism

Sufferers of schistosomiasis mansoni can evolve a clinical form of the disease associated with portal hypertension. To differentiate this form, routine clinical tests and biological indices were evaluated. In all, 54 HBsAg- and HCV-negative patients were studied, 42 with schistosomiasis and 12 normal volunteers. Using clinical criteria, ultrasonography, and endoscopy, the schistosomiasis patients were classified into two groups: mild chronic form (MS, N = 14) and chronic form associated with portal hypertension (PH, N = 28). The laboratory parameters of the MS group did not differ from the controls. The PH group differed from the others in prothrombin index, thrombocytemia, gamma -glutamyltransferase, serum alpha (2)-macroglobulin, and the calculated indices. ROC plot cutoff levels verified that isolated thrombocytemia was the most efficient marker for discrimination of the PH and MS forms. Thrombocytemia of 130 x 10(9) platelets/liter discriminated the groups with an 86% accuracy when all patients were analyzed and 96% when only schistosomiasis patients who did not consume alcohol were included.