Abstract

We conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) and Ascitic Fluid Total Protein (AFTP) in differentiating between ascites caused by portal hypertension and non-portal hypertension factors. Methods: This analytical study took place within a hospital setting, specifically among patients admitted to the medicine wards and ICU of a tertiary care hospital. The investigation spanned a 12-month period, running from January 2022 to December 2022. The study delved into the examination of 100 cases of ascites, thoroughly scrutinizing clinical signs and symptoms, ascites classification, and the correlation between Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) and Ascitic Fluid Total Protein (AFTP) levels in ascitic fluid. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.41 ± 9.65 years. Out of 100 patients 75% were males. The majority of patients presented with abdominal distension; 94 (94%) cases followed by swelling of limbs in 72 (72%). Most common sign was ascites seen in all cases (100%), followed by splenomegaly in 66 cases (66%) and pedal oedema in 58 cases (58%). We had 16 cases with SAAG of <1.1 gm% (16%) and we had 84 cases with SAAG of ≥1.1 gm% (84%). It was observed that majority of patients with SAAG ≥1.1 gm% had portal hypertension related ascites with statistically significant relation. (P<0.001) The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of SAAG was 97.3%, 53.85% and 86% respectively. On comparison, we found that the SAAG had better sensitivity, specificity of and accuracy to diagnose it as compared to AFTP. Conclusion: The results of our investigation indicate that the Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) is a dependable predictor for ascites linked to portal hypertension. Specifically, a SAAG value equal to or exceeding 1.1 gm% exhibits better sensitivity and accuracy in comparison to Ascitic Fluid Total Protein (AFTP)

Description