Background – Cirrhosis of the liver is a frequently encountered disease. The commonly available tests used in assessing the severity of cirrhosis  have certain drawbacks. The  estimation of serum cholinesterase is useful to assess the severity and prognosis of the disease.

Aim – The aim of the study is to compare  the level of serum cholinesterase in patients with cirrhosis  with other tests of liver function like serum albumin, serum bilirubin, PT INR, MELD  and Child Pugh score.

Materials and Methods – This was a hospital based observational study conducted for six months between March to August 2015. Patients who were diagnosed with cirrhosis both clinically and by ultrasound were included in the study. The assay for serum cholinesterase was done in all patients.The correlation between the values of serum cholinesterase and serum albumin, bilirubin, INR, Child Pugh and MELD score were analysed.

Results – A total of 100 patients were studied. The majority were males ( 80%) in the age group of  41to 50 years.(40%). The most common aetiological factor in this study  was alcohol(68%). Of the clinical signs studied 83% had ascites, 72% had icterus, 63% had splenomegaly and 31% had hepatic encephalopathy. On analysis of the laboratory parameters, 71% had a bilirubin level more than 3 and 73% had an INR less than 1.7. The majority of the patients were in Child Pugh class B ( 41%) and 64% had MELD score greater than 15. On analysing  the correlation between serum cholinesterase and other tests of liver function, it was found that there was significant correlation with albumin, bilirubin, INR levels, Child Pugh and MELD score.

Conclusion – A significant correlation was found between serum cholinesterase levels and the severity of Cirrhosis.

Keywords: serum cholinesterase- reduced levels in chronic liver disease- biomarker for cirrhosis.

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Dr Sujatha N.

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