BACKGROUND: Abdominal hernias are frequent issue in cirrhotic patients. These hernias tend to be large and symptomatic. AIM: To analyze the quality of life using a Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire in cirrhotic patients with abdominal hernia. METHODS: Thirty nine cirrhotic patients with abdominal wall hernia were analyzed. They were stratified according to Child´s classification and answered the SF-36 questionnaire administered by a same professional. RESULTS: The scores from SF-36 show impairment in all questionnaire domains in cirrhotic patients, especially in the physical aspect. The Child B group showed worse health general condition and functional capacity comparing with Child A group; however it did not show any significant difference related to physical aspect. CONCLUSION: The presence of abdominal hernia leads to worse quality of life in cirrhotic patients. Hepatic function deterioration is related to a worse quality of life. Abdominal hernia causes an important restriction in physical aspect even in Child A.
Cirrhosis; Hernia; Quality of life; Ascites
