Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Population (n=329)
| Characteristic | All | HCC (n=125, 38.0%) | LC without HCC (n=204, 62.0%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variable | ||||
| Age, yr | 57 (51–67) | 61 (53–68) | 56 (49–65) | 0.01 |
| Male sex | 264 (80.2) | 100 (80.0) | 164 (80.4) | 0.931 |
| Etiology | <0.001 | |||
| HBV | 134 (40.7) | 76 (60.8) | 58 (28.4) | |
| HCV | 34 (10.3) | 18 (14.4) | 16 (7.8) | |
| Alcohol | 133 (40.4) | 26 (20.8) | 107 (52.5) | |
| Others | 28 (8.5) | 5 (4.0) | 23 (11.3) | |
| Hematemesis at the initial presentation | 227 (69.0) | 88 (70.4) | 139 (68.1) | 0.667 |
| First bleeding episode | 197 (59.9) | 88 (70.4) | 109 (53.4) | 0.002 |
| Initial systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg | 236 (71.7) | 86 (68.8) | 150 (73.5) | 0.355 |
| Heart rate <100/min | 202 (61.4) | 84 (67.2) | 118 (57.8) | 0.091 |
| Endoscopic variables | ||||
| Door to endoscopy time, hr | 4 (2–10) | 3 (2–9) | 4 (2–12) | 0.191 |
| Bleeding cause | 0.71 | |||
| E | 258 (78.4) | 97 (77.6) | 161 (78.9) | |
| G | 45 (13.7) | 15 (12.0) | 30 (14.7) | |
| E+G | 26 (7.9) | 13 (10.4) | 13 (6.4) | |
| Varix size | 0.694 | |||
| ≤F1 | 91 (28.1) | 33 (26.8) | 58 (28.9) | |
| ≥F2 | 233 (71.9) | 90 (73.2) | 143 (71.1) | |
| Active bleeding on initial endoscopy | 218 (66.3) | 79 (63.2) | 139 (68.1) | 0.358 |
| Successful endoscopic hemostasis | 311 (94.5) | 115 (92.0) | 196 (96.1) | 0.114 |
| Vasoactive agent | 0.051 | |||
| Terlipressin | 159 (48.3) | 69 (55.2) | 90 (44.1) | |
| Somatostatin | 170 (51.7) | 56 (44.8) | 114 (55.9) | |
| PPI use | 159 (48.3) | 66 (52.8) | 93 (45.6) | 0.204 |
| Antibiotic prophylaxis | 111 (33.7) | 44 (35.2) | 67 (32.8) | 0.661 |
| Laboratory variables | ||||
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 8.9 (7.5–10.5) | 9.1 (7.6–10.525) | 8.8 (7.3–10.4) | 0.464 |
| WBC count, ×103/μL | 7,050 (4,960–10,450) | 6,960 (5,015–10,547.5) | 7,100 (4,900–10,450) | 0.947 |
| Platelet count, ×109/L | 98 (65–135.5) | 102 (63–155.75) | 97 (65–128) | 0.042 |
| Prothrombin time, sec | 15.2 (13.6–17.2) | 15.05 (13.575–16.7) | 15.4 (13.8–17.25) | 0.428 |
| Prothrombin time, INR | 1.39 (1.24–1.54) | 1.39 (1.24–1.53) | 1.39 (1.25–1.55) | 0.795 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase, IU/L | 49 (32–104) | 56 (37.5–137.8) | 43 (29–89) | 0.003 |
| Alanine aminotransferase, IU/L | 26 (16–44.5) | 28.5 (17.8–49.3) | 24 (15–42) | 0.033 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 1.59 (0.92–2.78) | 1.64 (0.99–2.75) | 1.57 (0.86–2.78) | 0.28 |
| Serum albumin, g/dL | 2.8 (2.4–3.2) | 2.7 (2.3–3.1) | 2.8 (2.4–3.3) | 0.021 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 0.85 (0.70–1.10) | 0.87 (0.71–1.23) | 0.83 (0.68–1.05) | 0.131 |
| Child-Pugh class | 0.011 | |||
| A | 69 (21.0) | 17 (13.5) | 52 (25.6) | |
| B | 190 (57.8) | 77 (61.1) | 113 (55.7) | |
| C | 70 (21.3) | 32 (25.4) | 38 (18.7) | |
| MELD score | 12 (10–16) | 13 (10–16) | 12 (10–16) | 0.178 |
| Presence of ascites | 207 (62.9) | 85 (78.6) | 122 (59.9) | 0.135 |
| Presence of infection | 21 (6.4) | 9 (7.2) | 12 (5.9) | 0.635 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or number (%).
HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; LC, liver cirrhosis; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; E, esophageal varix; G, gastric varix; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; WBC, white blood cell; INR, international normalized ratio; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease.