Etiology and prevalence of fatigue in chronic liver disease

Abstract

Background and Aim: One of the most common and obvious signs of liver cirrhosis is fatigue, which can limit daily activities, minimizes physical activity. Fatigue was reported to be prevalent in 60-80% of cirrhotic individuals in early publications on the clinical profile. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence and etiology of fatigue in chronic liver disease. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 320 chronic liver disease patients in Department of Medicine PAF Hospital Lahore and Department of Gastroenterology CMH Lahore from June 2022 to December 2022. Study protocol was approved by institute ethical committee. We recruited (a) those who had ongoing liver disease caused by HCV or HBV, (b) patients between the ages of 16 and 70, and (c) patients who had not previously received any particular HCV or HBV therapy. Patients were divided into five groups: Group-I comprised of chronic hepatitis patients, Group-II had Child class A Cirrhosis, Group-III had Child class B cirrhosis, Group-IV had Child class C cirrhosis, and Group-V had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Patients were subjected to abdominal ultrasonography, laboratory investigations, and upper endoscopy.