Original Research Article
Year: 2018 | Month: December | Volume: 5 | Issue: 12 | Pages: 215-219
Serum/Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG), a Very Cost Effective and Reliable First-Line Diagnostic Parameter in the Differential Diagnosis of Ascites - A Study in a North-East Indian Population
Parijat Gogoi1, Ekta Debnath2, Rita Changkakati3
1Associate Professor, 2Professor,
Department of Biochemistry, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, New Delhi-110001
3Ex-HOD, Deptt. of Biochemistry, Assam Medical College, Assam, India.
Corresponding Author: Ekta Debnath
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Ascites is one of the most common condition confronted by a doctor in any medical set up, which, if the underlying cause is not diagnosed properly, complicates the patient’s situation. The estimation of Serum-Ascites Albumin gradient (SAAG) has been proposed in many studies to categorise ascites better than either the ascitic fluid total protein or other parameters of ascitic fluid analysis.
Aim: The present study was aimed to find out the significance of SAAG in the differential diagnosis of ascites and to compare its diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy with Ascitic fluid Total Protein level.
Materials and Methods: In this study 100diagnosed ascites patients were enrolled. They were further divided into two groups, Group A - Ascites related to Portal Hypertension and Group B - Ascites not related to Portal Hypertension. Paired ascitic fluid and serum samples were collected for the estimation of AFTP and SAAG.
Results: The diagnostic accuracy of SAAG and AFTP were 95% and 68% respectively.
Conclusion: SAAG should be estimated for the etiological diagnosis of ascites.
Clinical Significance: SAAG is a parameter which has a high diagnostic accuracy and could be used as a first line investigation in the etiological diagnosis of ascites for initiation of prompt treatment. Moreover facility is available for its estimation in most of the rural medical set-ups.
Key words: Serum-Ascites Albumin gradient (SAAG), Ascitic Fluid Total Protein (AFTP), AF -Ascitic Fluid, PHT - Portal Hypertension, Cross-sectional Study.
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