A 51-year-old man complains of vomiting with blood. He has been drinking alcohol excessively. Health disorder has been observed since he was 40, when he first developed jaundice. On examination the skin and visible mucosa are icteric, with a stellate vascular pattern. The patient is malnourished and presents with abdominal distension, umbilical hernia, and ascites. The edge of the liver is tapered and painless, +3 cm, the spleen is +2 cm. Blood test: Hb- 80 g/L, leucocytes - 3 × 109/L. platelets – 85 × 109/L. What is the cause of portal hypertension in this patient?

Answer options

1. Budd-Chiari syndrome
2. Hepatic cirrhosis
3. Hemochromatosis
4. Thrombosis of the splenic vein
5. Constrictive pericarditis

Explanation

A 51-year-old man complains of vomiting with blood. He has been drinking alcohol excessively. Health disorder has been observed since he was 40, when he first developed jaundice. On examination the skin and visible mucosa are icteric, with a stellate vascular pattern. The patient is malnourished and presents with abdominal distension, umbilical hernia, and ascites. The edge of the liver is tapered and painless. +3 cm, the spleen is +2 cm. Blood test: Hb- 80 g/L, leukocytes – 3. 109/L. platelets – 85 . 109/L. What is the cause of portal hypertension in this patient? Excessive alcoholism will almost always end in Hepatic cirrhosis.Budd–Chiari syndrome is a very rare condition, affecting one in a million adults. The condition is caused by occlusion of the hepatic veins that drain the liver. It presents with the classical triad of abdominal pain, ascites, and liver enlargement.