Baseline patient characteristics
| Characteristics | Study group (n=43) | Control group (n=43) | P values |
| Age (years), mean (range) | 58.5 (31–76) | 59.3 (50–77) | 0.6749 |
| Male, no. (%) | 25 (58) | 27 (63) | 0.6591 |
| Clinical presentation* | |||
| Haematemesis, no. (%) | 43 (100) | 43 (100) | NA |
| Melena, no. (%) | 20 (47) | 19 (44) | 0.8285 |
| Both, no. (%) | 20 (47) | 19 (44) | 0.8285 |
| Child-Pugh classification | |||
| Child A, no. (%) | 14 (33) | 12 (28) | 0.6386 |
| Child B, no. (%) | 21 (49) | 21 (49) | 1.0000 |
| Child C, no. (%) | 8 (19) | 10 (23) | 0.5960 |
| MELD score, mean (range) | 15.26 (7–39) | 15.18 (7–36) | 0.9604 |
| Ascites (at ultrasound), no. (%) | 27 (63) | 32 (74) | 0.1667 |
| Total bilirubin* (mg/dL) mean (range) | 1.92 (0.3–10.45) | 1.60 (0.26–14.96) | 0.6209 |
| Haemoglobin* (g/dL) mean (range) | 8.86 (4.5–13.6) | 8.46 (4.2–12.1) | 0.4287 |
| Platelets* (/mm3) mean (range) | 132 720 (10 000–310 000) | 130 302(53 000–146 000) | 0.8355 |
| Total leucocytic count* (/mm3) mean (range) | 10 353 (2200–38 200) | 9941 (2000–24 800) | 0.7451 |
| Albumin* (g/dL) mean (range) | 2.68 (1.7–3.8) | 2.43 (1.2–3.4) | 0.0332 |
| Prothrombin time* (%) mean (range) | 19.92 (13.5–60) | 18.63 (14.2–27.3) | 0.3007 |
| Creatinine* (mg/dL) mean (range) | 1.23 (0.5–4.11) | 1.22 (0.5–4.71) | 0.9428 |
| Systolic blood pressure* (mm Hg) mean (range) | 117 (50–170) | 112 (70–180) | 0.3993 |
| Heart rate* (pulse/min) mean (range) | 100 (70–135) | 100 (78–120) | 0.9165 |
| Positive blood culture*, no. (%) | 10 (23) | 18 (42) | 0.0656 |
| Positive urine culture* | 7 (16) | 6 (14) | 0.7634 |
↵*At admission.
MELD, model for end-stage liver disease.