S1919 Coated Tips Does Not Improve Thrombocytopenia in Cirrhotic Patients (Preliminary Results From a Retrospective Analysis of Platelet Counts in Cirrhotic Patients After Tips Placement)

patients followed in an academic liver clinic. RESULTS. The study assessed 1,022 patients with a mean 20.0 (3-60) months of follow-up. The mean age was 45.6 (17-86) years; 29.8% (n=304) were elderly (age ≥ 60 years); 54.0% were males; 35.4% were Asians and 41.3%, Caucasians; 44.9% had chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 19.0%, chronic hepatitis B (CHB). CHC was more common (77.8% vs. 67.4%), but CHB was less common (22.2% vs. 32.6%) in the elderly group than in the younger group, and the frequency of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD) was comparable in both groups (3.3 vs. 3.3%). Elderly patients had significantly higher incidence of history of hypertension (HTN, 50.0% vs. 23.5%), diabetes mellitus (DM, 28.5% vs. 13.6%), but lower incidence of obesity (22.4% vs. 29.0%). They also carried a significantly higher rate of cirrhosis (i.e., stage 3-4 fibrosis) and/or HD (i.e., presence of ascites and/or hepatic encephalopathy, 62.8% vs. 48.5%), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, 8.3% vs. 1.9%). Laboratorially, elderly patients had significantly higher incidence of thrombocytopenia (28.8% vs. 16.4%), hypoalbuminemia (28.2% vs. 17.0%), and AST/ALT ratio ≥ 1 (57.2% vs. 38.3%). Multivariate analyses indicated that the significantly higher frequency of cirrhosis and/or HD in the elderly group was independently associated with age (p=0.003, OR=1.86) and obesity (p=0.0001, OR=2.11). CONCLUSIONS. In this large cohort of patients, elderly patients carried a higher frequency of CHC, history of DM, HTN, cirrhosis and/or HD, and HCC. Cirrhosis was independently associated with age and obesity.