Portal hypertension is an increase in the pressure in your vein that carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This pressure increase causes the development of large veins, which can bleed easily. Diagnostics used for portal hypertension include x-rays, lab tests and endoscopic examination.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that forms due to injury or chronic disease. When the healthy tissue of the liver, which makes protein, fights infections and helps with food digestion, becomes scarred, the blood flow through the liver is hampered. Blockage of the blood flow may increase the blood pressure in the vein entering the liver and cause portal hypertension.
According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, many conditions can cause cirrhosis, including alcohol abuse, chronic viral hepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Some drugs can also cause the condition.
Budd-Chiari Syndrome
Budd-Chiari syndrome, caused by blood clots in the large veins that carry blood into the inferior vena cava from the liver, usually develops slowly, according to Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. As the clot grows and blocks the hepatic veins, the pressure, or portal hypertension, causes the liver to enlarge.
Possible causes for Budd-Chiari syndrome include sickle cell disease, connective tissue disorders and inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms include swelling in the legs or abdomen, vomiting blood from varicose veins in the esophagus and fatigue.
Hepatic Granulomas
Hepatic granulomas can be caused by bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral infections, drugs, liver disorders and systemic disorders, such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, polymyalgia rheumatica and sarcoidosis. Diagnosis for hepatic granulomas is based on liver biopsy.
Risk Factors with Portal Hypertension
People with cirrhosis are at a high risk for developing portal hypertension. About 25,000 people in the United States die from cirrhosis every year, according to the UCSF Medical Center. Cirrhosis complications, the most serious risks for portal hypertension, include fluid buildup in the abdomen, bleeding in the esophagus and upper stomach, abdominal inflammation and infection and brain damage from harmful substances. Causes of cirrhosis include alcohol abuse and hepatitis.
People with portal hypertension are at risk for developing complications such as kidney failure and pulmonary hypertension.
