Soft tissue infections in patients with decompensated liver diseases

• Published in: Kanzo Vol. 42; no. 7; pp. 342 - 347
• Main Authors: TAKAMATSU, Masato, HISA, Takeshi, FURUTAKE, Masayuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Hepatology 2001
• Subjects: bacterial infection; hepatic failure; liver cirrhosis; soft tissue infection
• ISSN: 0451-4203; 1881-3593
• DOI: 10.2957/kanzo.42.342

Patients with decompensated liver diseases are likely to develop bacterial infection. Though spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the most characteristic infectious complication, other infections are as important as SBP. We reviewed 11 cases of soft tissue infection we had experienced. Of 11 cases in all, one had alcoholic cirrhosis, one had alcoholic hepatitis, one had biliary cirrhosis, and the others had posthepatitic cirrhosis. All the patients were in a decompensated state. The sites of infection were lower extremities in five cases, psoas muscle in two cases, abdominal wall in one, pericardium in one, eyeball in one, and cerebellum in one. Clinical manifestations were pain of the infected site and fever in many cases. But in some case, general deterioration was the only symptom and immediate diagnosis was difficult. The prognosis was poor. We have to pay more attention to soft tissue infections in the clinical practice of liver diseases.