Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology, cilt.11, sa.2, ss.103-107, 2000 (SCI-Expanded)
Background/aims: Nitric oxide (NO) is reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension (PH). NO is an extremely unstable molecule and rapidly degrades to nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3). Methods: In this study, serum NO2/NO3 (NOx) as an index of endogenous NO production was measured in 40 chronic liver disease patients (13 women, 27 men; mean age: 51±1). Etiology was viral in 31 patients, alcohol in six, auto immunity in one and unknown in two patients. NOx was determined in chronic liver disease patients, and the relationship between NOx and severity of disease was also evaluated. Patients were evaluated for the presence of portal hypertension. Twelve healthy subjects (five women, seven men; mean age 51±3) were used as a control group. The concentration of NO2 was determined spectrophotometrically and NO3 was obtained after reduction to NO2 with Griess reaction. Results: NOx found to be no different between the control and chronic active hepatitis group. Cirrhotic patients had a higher NOx level than that of the chronic active hepatitis group and control group (p<0.01). Patients with ascites and/or esophageal varices had a higher NOx level than that of patients without ascites and/or esophageal varices (p