Hepatopulmonary Syndrome, a forgotten diagnosis. Case report

Abstract

Background: Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) occurs in patients with liver cirrhosis with a varying prevalence according to different studies, possibly explained by underdiagnosis, little described mainly in developing countries. In Honduras there are no studies published in the literature. Case description: A 70-year-old female patient with liver disease, arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with chronic respiratory symptoms and hypoxemia demonstrated by arterial blood gas analysis, in which extracardiac shunt was evident by contrast echocardiography compatible with this disease. Conclusions: The diagnosis of HPS is relatively simple having all the tools, but in developing countries these are not available in most health units, therefore making it difficult to approach. The prognosis of patients worsens with the presence of this syndrome and should be included in the differential diagnoses of all patients with dyspnea and hypoxemia in the margin of an underlying liver disease.