Haematological Predictors of Cirrhosis in Paediatric Wilson Disease: A Record-Based Analysis

Background The study aimed to explore the prognostic value of haematological parameters in Wilson disease (WD) patients. Methods Laboratory data at the time of diagnosis of 136 patients diagnosed with WD at the Paediatric Hepatology Clinic of İnönü University Faculty of Medicine between 2010 and 2022 were retrospectively analysed. A total of 81 patients with available histopathological data were grouped according to the presence of cirrhosis. Results Retrospective analysis of laboratory data of WD patients revealed significant correlations. While there was a positive correlation between the Mentzer index, red blood cell distribution width (RDW), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mortality scores, haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), platelet (PLT), and plateletcrit (PCT) showed a significant negative correlation. In the haematological data (PLT, RDW, PCT), important cut-off points were identified with high sensitivity and specificity that could predict cirrhosis. When we analyse the risk for cirrhosis according to these cut-off points, we found that, if the Mentzer index is >21.47, the risk increases approximately 11 times; if PLT ≤158, the risk increases 6.6 times; if MCV >85.3, the risk increases approximately five times; if RBC ≤3,980 x 10³ UL, the risk increases approximately 13 times; if PCT ≤0. 22, the risk increased approximately 12-fold; if RDW ≥14.7, the risk increased approximately 12-fold; if Hb/RDW ratio ≤0.83, the risk increased 10-fold; and if AAR ≥0.73, the risk increased eightfold. Conclusion The findings suggest that haematological parameters can be valuable for clinicians in determining the prognosis of WD patients.