[Analysis of the etiology and clinical characteristics of Tibetan cirrhosis in Tibet].

The authors collected 41 cases of cirrhosis in native Tibetans with pathological verification. It is found that 60.98% of the cases were alcoholic cirrhosis, with an incidence significantly higher than that of 7.6% reported in the inland (P less than 0.01). 74.19% and 20% of the cirrhosis in male and female patients respectively were alcoholic, while 50% of the cirrhosis in the female were due to malnutrition. Among the Tibetan cirrhotics 12.2% was due to hepatitis and 4.88% each to hydatid disease and tuberculosis. The average age of these cirrhotics was 47.05. The frequent occurring age was between 41-50 (about 41.46%). The Tibetan cirrhosis in peasants and herdsmen were 51.28%. At the first admission, 84.49% got jaundice and 90.2% got ascites. These percentages were higher respectively than 43.2% and 50.5% from the Lanzou report (P less than 0.01). Ascites was serious, portal vein expanded, but splenomegaly were merely 17.07% (normal were 82.93%). These spleens expanded just a little, macrosplenopathy was not found.