Comorbidity and survival of Danish cirrhosis patients: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Medical expenses in treating acute esophageal variceal bleeding: A 15-year nationwide population-based cohort study

Acute variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis is related to high mortality and medical expenses. The purpose of present studies was to analyze the medical expenses in treating acute esophageal variceal bleeding among patients with cirrhosis and potential influencing clinical factors.A total of 151,863 patients with cirrhosis with International Classification of Diseases-9 codes 456.0 and 456.20 were analyzed from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2010. Time intervals were divided into three phases for analysis as T1 (1996-2000), T2 (2001-2005), and T3 (2006-2010). The endpoints were prevalence, length of hospital stay, medical expenses, and mortality rate.Our results showed that more patients were <65 years (75.6%) and of male sex (78.5%). Patients were mostly from teaching hospitals (90.8%) with high hospital volume (50.9%) and high doctor service load (51.1%). The prevalence of acute esophageal variceal bleeding and mean length of hospital stay decreased over the years (P < 0.001), but the overall medical expenses increased (P < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that older age, female sex, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score >1, patients from teaching hospitals, and medium to high or very high patient numbers were independent factors for longer hospital stay and higher medical expenses. Aged patients, female sex, increased CCI score, and low doctor service volume were independent factors for both in-hospital and 5-year mortality. Patients from teaching hospitals and medium to high or very high service volume hospitals were independent factors for in-hospital mortality, but not 5-year mortality.Medical expenses in treating acute esophageal variceal bleeding increased despite the decreased prevalence rate and length of hospital stay in Taiwan. Aged patients, female sex, patients with increased CCI score from teaching hospitals, and medium to high or very high patient numbers were the independent factors for increased medical expenses.

Incidence, clinical presentation and mortality of liver cirrhosis in Southern Sweden: a 10-year population-based study

BACKGROUND

In Sweden, the most common causes of liver cirrhosis are alcohol overconsumption and hepatitis C. However, recent data on the clinical characteristics of Swedish patients with cirrhosis are scarce.

AIMS

To determine the incidence, clinical presentation, aetiological spectrum and survival rates of liver cirrhosis in Southern Sweden from 2001 to 2011.

METHODS

We used population-based medical registries to conduct a cohort study of all patients with liver cirrhosis in the southernmost region of Sweden with a population of 1.17 million. Medical records and histopathology data were reviewed. Patients were classified according to aetiology, and clinical parameters were registered. Patients were followed until death or December 2014.

RESULTS

A total of 1317 patients with cirrhosis were identified. The crude annual incidence of cirrhosis was estimated at 14.1/100 000. The most common aetiology was alcohol overconsumption with or without additional causes of cirrhosis (58%) followed by HCV alone (13%) and cryptogenic cirrhosis (12%). At diagnosis, ascites occurred in 43%, variceal bleeding in 6% and overt encephalopathy in 4%. The median follow-up was 4.3 years. The total 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 79%, 47% and 27% respectively. Survival rates were better for women than for men. A 10-year cumulative incidence of transplantation was 7.3%. Mortality was worst for alcoholic cirrhosis with concomitant HCV when adjusted for age and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Sweden continues to have a low incidence of cirrhosis compared with other European countries. Mortality varies with gender, aetiology and severity at diagnosis. Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis with concomitant HCV infection fare worst.

Correlation between liver cirrhosis and risk of death from oral cancer: Taiwan cohort study

BACKGROUND

A nationwide population-based cohort was used to examine the severity of liver cirrhosis and risk of mortality from oral cancer.

METHODS

The cohort consisted of 3583 patients with oral cancer treated by surgery between 2008 and 2011 in Taiwan. They were grouped on the basis of normal liver function (n = 3471), cirrhosis without decompensation (n = 72) and cirrhosis with decompensation (n = 40). The primary endpoint was mortality. Hazard ratios of death were also determined.

RESULTS

The mortality rates in the respective groups were 14.8 per cent, 20.8 per cent and 37.5 per cent at one year (p < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of death at one year for each group compared to the normal group were 2.01 (p = 0.021) for cirrhotic patients without decompensation, 4.84 (p < 0.001) for those with decompensation and 2.65 (p < 0.001) for those receiving chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Liver cirrhosis can be used to predict one-year mortality in oral cancer patients. Chemotherapy should be used with caution and underlying co-morbidities should be managed in cirrhotic patients to reduce mortality risk.

Effects of common chronic medical conditions on psychometric tests used to diagnose minimal hepatic encephalopathy

Many chronic medical conditions are accompanied by cognitive disturbances but these have only to a very limited extent been psychometrically quantified. An exception is liver cirrhosis where hepatic encephalopathy is an inherent risk and mild forms are diagnosed by psychometric tests. The preferred diagnostic test battery in cirrhosis is often the Continuous Reaction Time (CRT) and the Portosystemic Encephalopathy (PSE) tests but the effect on these of other medical conditions is not known. We aimed to examine the effects of common chronic (non-cirrhosis) medical conditions on the CRT and PSE tests. We studied 15 patients with heart failure (HF), 15 with end stage renal failure (ESRF), 15 with dysregulated type II diabetes (DMII), 15 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 15 healthy persons. We applied the CRT test, which is a 10-min computerized test measuring sustained attention and reaction time stability and the PSE test, which is a paper-pencil test battery consisting of 5 subtests. We found that a high fraction of the patients with HF (8/15, 0.002) or COPD (7/15, p = 0.006) had pathological CRT test results; and COPD patients also frequently had an abnormal PSE test result (6/15, p < 0.0001). Both tests were unaffected by ESRF and DMII. Half of the patients with HF or COPD had psychometrically measurable cognitive deficits, whereas those with ESRF or DMII had not. This adds to the understanding of the clinical consequences of chronic heart- and lung disease, and implies that the psychometric tests should be interpreted with great caution in cirrhosis patients with heart- or lung comorbidity.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Among Cirrhotic Patients With Commercial Health Insurance

GOALS

To evaluate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance rates among commercially insured patients, and evaluate factors associated with compliance with surveillance recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Most HCC occurs in patients with cirrhosis. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and European Association for the Study of the Liver guidelines each recommend biannual HCC surveillance for cirrhotic patients to diagnose HCC at an early, curable stage. However, compliance with these guidelines in commercially insured patients is unknown.

STUDY

We used the Truven Health Analytics databases from 2006 to 2010, using January 1, 2006 as the anchor date for evaluating outcomes. The primary outcome was continuous surveillance measure, defined as the proportion of time "up-to-date" with surveillance (PTUDS), with the 6-month interval immediately following each ultrasound categorized as "up-to-date."

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 22.9 (interquartile range, 16.3 to 33.9) months among 8916 cirrhotic patients, the mean PTUDS was 0.34 (SD, 0.29), and the median was 0.31 (interquartile range, 0.03 to 0.52). These values increased only modestly with inclusion of serum alpha-fetoprotein testing, contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomographic scans or magnetic resonance imagings, and/or extension of up-to-date time to 12 months. Being diagnosed by a nongastroenterology provider and increasing age were significantly associated with decreased HCC surveillance (P<0.05), whereas a history of a hepatic decompensation event, presence of any component of the metabolic syndrome, and diagnosis of hepatitis B or hepatitis C were significantly associated with increased surveillance (P<0.05). However, even among patients with the most favorable characteristics, surveillance rates remained low.

CONCLUSIONS

HCC surveillance rates in commercially insured at-risk patients remain poor despite formalized guidelines, highlighting the need to develop interventions to improve surveillance rates.

Adjusted Age-Adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index Score as a Risk Measure of Perioperative Mortality before Cancer Surgery

Background

Identification of patients at risk of death from cancer surgery should aid in preoperative preparation. The purpose of this study is to assess and adjust the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) to identify cancer patients with increased risk of perioperative mortality.

Methods

We identified 156,151 patients undergoing surgery for one of the ten common cancers between 2007 and 2011 in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Half of the patients were randomly selected, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop an adjusted-ACCI score for estimating the risk of 90-day mortality by variables from the original ACCI. The score was validated. The association between the score and perioperative mortality was analyzed.

Results

The adjusted-ACCI score yield a better discrimination on mortality after cancer surgery than the original ACCI score, with c-statics of 0.75 versus 0.71. Over 80 years of age, 70–80 years, and renal disease had the strongest impact on mortality, hazard ratios 8.40, 3.63, and 3.09 (P < 0.001), respectively. The overall 90-day mortality rates in the entire cohort varied from 0.9%, 2.9%, 7.0%, and 13.2% in four risk groups stratifying by the adjusted-ACCI score; the adjusted hazard ratio for score 4–7, 8–11, and ≥ 12 was 2.84, 6.07, and 11.17 (P < 0.001), respectively, in 90-day mortality compared to score 0–3.

Conclusions

The adjusted-ACCI score helps to identify patients with a higher risk of 90-day mortality after cancer surgery. It might be particularly helpful for preoperative evaluation of patients over 80 years of age.

Survival and risk factors related to death in outpatients with cirrhosis treated in a clinic in Southern Brazil

INTRODUCTION

Cirrhosis represents a public health issue that generally evolves and presents serious complications.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the outcomes of outpatients with cirrhosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We used a retrospective outpatient-based cohort, assessing 527 patients with cirrhosis. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were analyzed, as well as the risk factors related to death, using the Cox proportional-hazard regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze survival rates.

RESULTS

Patients had a mean age of 52.9±9.7 years and were more frequently men (59%), presenting Child-Turcotte-Pugh B or C in 43% of the cases in addition to a mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 12.0±4.1. The predominant etiology of liver disease was the hepatitis C virus. The most frequent complications during follow-up were ascites (34%), hepatic encephalopathy (17%), and hepatocellular carcinoma (17%). The survival rate at years 5 and 10 was 73 and 57%, respectively. The main risk factors that were related to death were, in a multivariate analysis, hepatitis C virus etiology, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and serum levels of albumin.

CONCLUSION

Patients with cirrhosis monitored on an outpatient basis, despite showing a reasonable survival rate, have a worse prognosis when the etiology of liver disease is related to hepatitis C virus and when they have hepatocellular carcinoma or hypoalbuminemia.

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy characterized by parallel use of the continuous reaction time and portosystemic encephalopathy tests

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a frequent complication to liver cirrhosis that causes poor quality of life, a great burden to caregivers, and can be treated. For diagnosis and grading the international guidelines recommend the use of psychometric tests of different modalities (computer based vs. paper and pencil). To compare results of the Continuous Reaction time (CRT) and the Portosystemic Encephalopathy (PSE) tests in a large unselected cohort of cirrhosis patients without clinically detectable brain impairment and to clinically characterize the patients according to their test results. The CRT method is a 10-minute computerized test of a patient's motor reaction time stability (CRTindex) to 150 auditory stimuli. The PSE test is a 20-minute paper-pencil test evaluating psychomotor speed. Both tests were performed at the same occasion in 129 patients. Both tests were normal in only 36% (n = 46) of the patients and this group had the best quality of life, a normal CRP, a low risk of subsequent overt HE, and a low short term mortality. Either the CRT or the PSE test was abnormal in a total of 64% of the patients (n = 83), the CRT in 53% (n = 69) and the PSE in 34% (n = 44). All these patients had a poorer quality of life, low-grade CRP elevation, moderate risk for subsequent overt HE, and a higher than 20% short term mortality. Both tests were abnormal in 23% (n = 30) of the patients and this group had more advanced cirrhosis and a 40 % short-term mortality. One of the tests was abnormal in the majority of the patients but concordant in only 60%. Most cirrhosis patients seem to have impairments of different cognitive domains and more domains with advancing disease. Two abnormal tests identified patients with an increased risk of overt HE and death.

One-Year Mortality after Traumatic Brain Injury in Liver Cirrhosis Patients--A Ten-Year Population-Based Study

This study investigated the 1-year mortality of patients who underwent brain surgery following traumatic brain injury (TBI) who also had alcoholic and/or nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis (LC) using a nationwide database in Taiwan. A longitudinal cohort study matched by propensity score with age, gender, length of ICU stay, HTN, DM, MI, stroke, HF, renal diseases, and year of TBI diagnosis in TBI patients with alcoholic and/or nonalcoholic LC and TBI patients without LC was conducted using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between January 1997 and December 2007. The main outcome studied was 1-year mortality. In total, 7296 subjects (2432 TBI patients with LC and 4864 TBI patients without LC) were enrolled in this study. The main findings were (1) TBI patients with LC had a higher 1-year mortality (52.18% vs 30.61%) and a 1.75-fold increased risk of mortality (95% CI 1.61-1.90) compared with non-LC TBI patients, (2) renal diseases and HF are risk factors, but hypertension could be a protective factor in cirrhotic TBI patients, and (3) TBI patients with non-alcoholic LC and the coexistence of alcoholic and nonalcoholic LC had higher 1-year mortality compared with TBI patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. This study showed that patients with LC who have undergone brain surgery might have higher risk of 1-year mortality than those without LC. In addition, nonalcoholic and the coexistence of alcoholic and nonalcoholic LC show higher 1-year mortality risk than alcoholic in TBI patients with LC, especially in those with comorbidities of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and stroke.

Causes of death in people with liver cirrhosis in England compared with the general population: a population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVES

There is a need for unbiased estimates of cause-specific mortality by etiology in patients with liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study is to use nationwide linked electronic routine healthcare data from primary and secondary care alongside the national death registry data to report such estimates.

METHODS

We identified from the linked Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and English Hospital Episode Statistics adults with an incident diagnosis of liver cirrhosis linked to the Office for National Statistics between 1998 and 2009. Age-matched controls from the CPRD general population were selected. We calculated the cumulative incidence (adjusting for competing risks) and excess risk of death by 5 years from diagnosis for different causes of death, stratified by etiology and stage of disease.

RESULTS

Five thousand one hundred and eighteen patients with cirrhosis were matched to 152,903 controls. Among compensated patients, the 5-year excess risk of liver-related death was higher than that of any other cause of death for all patients, except those of unspecified etiology. For example, those of alcohol etiology had 30.8% excess risk of liver-related death (95% confidence interval (CI): 27.9%, 33.1%) compared with 9.9% excess risk of non-liver-related death. However, patients of unspecified etiology had a higher excess risk of non-liver-related compared with liver-related death (10.7% vs. 6.7%). This was due to a high excess risk of non-liver neoplasm death (7.7%, 95% CI: 5.9%, 9.5%). All decompensated patients had a higher excess of liver-related mortality than any other cause.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to reduce associated mortality among people with liver cirrhosis, patients' care pathways need to be tailored depending on the etiology and stage of the disease.

Cirrhosis is Associated with an Increased 30-Day Mortality After Venous Thromboembolism

Objectives:

Patients with cirrhosis are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but the impact of cirrhosis on the clinical course following VTE is unclear. In a nationwide cohort study, we examined 30-day mortality among patients with cirrhosis and VTE.

Methods:

We used Danish population-based health-care databases (1994–2011) to identify patients with incident VTE, i.e., deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Among these, we identified 745 patients with cirrhosis and 3647 patients without cirrhosis (matched on gender, year of birth, calendar year of VTE diagnosis and VTE type). We assessed the 30-day mortality risk among VTE patients with and without cirrhosis, and the mortality rate ratios (MRRs), using an adjusted Cox model with 95% confidence interval. We obtained information on immediate cause of death for patients who died within 30 days after VTE.

Results:

The 30-day mortality risk for DVT was 7% for patients with cirrhosis and 3% for patients without cirrhosis. Corresponding PE-related mortality risks were 35% and 16%, and PVT-related mortality risks were 19% and 15%, respectively. The adjusted 30-day MRRs were 2.17 (1.24–3.79) for DVT, 1.83 (1.30–2.56) for PE, and 1.30 (0.80–2.13) for PVT. Though overall mortality was higher in patients with cirrhosis than patients without cirrhosis, the proportions of deaths due to PE were similar among patients (25% and 24%, respectively).

Conclusions:

Cirrhosis is a predictor for increased short-term mortality following VTE, with PE as the most frequent cause of death.

Predictors of mortality among patients with compensated and decompensated liver cirrhosis: the role of bacterial infections and infection-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

OBJECTIVE

Population-based data on the impact of bacterial infections on the course of compensated and decompensated cirrhosis as well as the occurrence, predictors of infection-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and its fatal outcome are limited.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All patients with incident cirrhosis in the period 2001-2010, residing in an area of 600,000 inhabitants, were retrospectively identified. All serious bacterial infections (resulting in or occurring during an inpatient hospital episode) during this period were analyzed. Infection site and acquisition type, comorbid illness (Charlson comorbidity index) and infection severity features were analyzed. Patients were followed up until death, transplant, or the end of 2011.

RESULTS

Overall, 398 serious bacterial infections occurred in 241/633 (38%) patients (106/332 diagnosed with compensated and 135/301 with decompensated disease; follow-up time was 2276 patient-years). ACLF occurred in 95/398 (24%) serious infections with an in-hospital mortality of 50%. In logistic regression analysis, the model for end-stage liver disease score, active alcohol misuse and healthcare-associated infections were predictors of infection-related ACLF (p < 0.05 for all). In-hospital mortality in infections with ACLF was related to albumin levels, Charlson comorbidity index >1 and occurrence of one or more organ failures (p > 0.05 for all). In Cox regression analysis, infection-related ACLF was an independent negative predictor of transplant-free survival in decompensated patients (p = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

In a population-based cirrhotic cohort, infection-related ACLF was a negative predictor of survival in decompensated disease. Infection-related ACLF was frequent and related to cirrhosis severity and infection acquisition type, as well as to high inpatient mortality, in particular in patients with significant comorbidity.

Health related quality of life in people with advanced chronic liver disease

Cirrhosis has a long natural history with considerable symptomatic impacts, particularly in advancing disease. Measuring health related quality of life (HRQOL) in liver disease provides detail about the nature and extent of its effects on individuals. Understanding the drivers of impaired HRQOL can help identify targets for improvement through new treatments or health systems service delivery. Evaluation of novel therapies which target symptomatic improvement, should be done with suitable outcome measures, including HRQOL assessment. In this article, we provide an overview of HRQOL in advanced liver disease for the clinician. A clear description of the important HRQOL tools is given alongside a discussion of the factors, which are known to contribute to impaired HRQOL in advanced liver disease.

Comorbidity in cirrhosis

Cirrhosis patients’ comorbidities are their other diseases than cirrhosis. Comorbidities are neither causes nor consequences of cirrhosis, but they can increase mortality and are therefore clinically important. They are also an important source of confounding in epidemiologic studies. Comorbidity scoring systems have been developed as tools to measure the cirrhosis patient’s total burden of comorbidity, and they are useful in the clinic and for epidemiologic studies. The recently developed CirCom score is the only comorbidity scoring system developed specifically for cirrhosis patients, and it may be preferred over the older, generic, and more complex Charlson comorbidity index. Studies of individual comorbid diseases can provide insight into the interactions between cirrhosis and other diseases and thus into the pathophysiology of cirrhosis. This article reviews the literature on comorbidity in cirrhosis.

The effect of comorbidity on hospital mortality in patients with SLE from an Asian tertiary hospital

Objectives

The objective of the study was to assess the disease burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the usefulness of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) as risk-adjusted hospital mortality predictors in patients with SLE using a hospital administrative database.

Methods

A historical cohort study of a hospital discharge database from 2004 to 2011 was used to identify cases with SLE and comorbidity using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, ninth revision, Australian modification (ICD-9-AM) codes.

Results

Over the eight years, 841 patients met the criteria of SLE with a hospital mortality rate of 9.2%. The hospital mortality rates (2.4%, 15.7%, 25.0%, and 30.4%, respectively, p < 0.001) and hospital length of stay (geometric mean, 3.5, 5.6, 8.8, and 7.5 days, respectively, p < 0.001) were consistently increased for patients with CCI ranging from none, low, moderate to high grade, respectively. Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that CCI (hazard ratio (HR) 7.8 high vs. none, p < 0.001) and infectious disease (HR 2.0, p = 0.016) were significant and independent predictors of hospital mortality. Similar results were also seen with hospital length of stay by zero-truncated negative binomial regression model analysis.

Conclusion

The SLE burden is high in this population. Comorbidities and infectious disease were some of the most important contributors to hospital mortality and resource utilization.

Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis in England, a cohort study, 1998-2009: a comparison with cancer

OBJECTIVES

There is no routine registration of the occurrence of newly diagnosed cases of cirrhosis in the United Kingdom. This study seeks to determine precise estimates and trends of the incidence of cirrhosis in England, and directly compare these figures with those for the 20 most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

We used the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and linked English Hospital Episode Statistics to perform a population-based cohort study. Adult incident cases with a diagnosis of cirrhosis between January 1998 and December 2009 were identified. We described trends in incidence by sex and etiology. We performed a direct standardization to estimate the number of people being newly diagnosed with cirrhosis in 2009, and calculated the change in incidence between 1998 and 2009.

RESULTS

A total of 5,118 incident cases of cirrhosis were identified, 57.9% were male. Over the 12-year period, crude incidence increased by 50.6%. Incidence increased for both men and women and all etiology types. We estimated approximately 17,000 people were newly diagnosed with cirrhosis in 2009 in the United Kingdom, greater than that of the fifth most common cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The percentage change in incidence of cirrhosis between 1998 and 2009 for both men (52.4%) and women (38.3%) was greater than that seen for the top four most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United Kingdom (breast, lung, bowel, and prostate).

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of cirrhosis increased more than that of the top four cancers during 1998 to 2009 in England. Strategies to monitor and reduce the incidence of this disease are urgently needed.

1 and 5 year survival estimates for people with cirrhosis of the liver in England, 1998-2009: a large population study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Large, population-based studies that have included the full spectrum of cirrhosis estimating survival, taking into account time-at-risk are lacking. We aimed to report 1- and 5-year average survival rates for people with cirrhosis to be used in a clinical and healthcare policy setting.

METHODS

We used the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and linked English Hospital Episode Statistics to identify adult cases of cirrhosis from January 1998 to December 2009. We estimated 1- and 5-year survival according to whether time-at-risk was ambulatory or followed an emergency hospital admission related to liver disease, stratified by age, sex, and aetiology to be used in a clinical setting. We used a multivariate Cox-proportional hazards model with a time-varying variable, adjusted for Baveno IV stage of cirrhosis at diagnosis, age, aetiology, and sex.

RESULTS

We identified 5118 incident cases. Average survival probabilities at 1- and 5-years were 0.84 (95% CI 0.83-0.86) and 0.66 (95% CI 0.63-0.68) for the ambulatory group and 0.55 (95% CI 0.53-0.57) and 0.31 (95% CI 0.29-0.33) following hospitalisation, respectively. A hospital admission at diagnosis or subsequently for liver disease substantially impaired prognosis independent of stage of cirrhosis (HR=2.78, 95% CI 2.53, 3.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency hospitalisation for liver disease heralds a downturn in a patient's outlook independent of their stage of cirrhosis. Our results provide population-based clinically translatable estimates of prognosis for the purposes of healthcare delivery and planning and communication to patients.

Postoperative adverse outcomes after non-hepatic surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

Postoperative adverse outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis are not completely understood. This study evaluated the association between liver cirrhosis and adverse outcomes after non-hepatic surgery.

METHODS

Reimbursement claims were used to identify patients with preoperative liver cirrhosis who underwent non-hepatic surgery from 2004 to 2007. Control patients without cirrhosis were matched by age, sex, type of surgery and anaesthesia. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 per cent confidence intervals (c.i.) of postoperative adverse events associated with liver cirrhosis were analysed by multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Thirty-day mortality rates among 24 282 patients with cirrhosis and 97 128 control patients were 1·2 per cent (299 deaths) and 0·7 per cent (635 deaths) respectively. Liver cirrhosis was associated with postoperative 30-day mortality (OR 1·88, 95 per cent c.i. 1·63 to 2·16), acute renal failure (OR 1·52, 1·34 to 1·74), septicaemia (OR 1·42, 1·33 to 1·51) and intensive care unit admission (OR 1·39, 1·33 to 1·45). Postoperative mortality increased in patients who had liver cirrhosis with viral hepatitis (OR 2·87, 1·55 to 5·30), alcohol dependence syndrome (OR 3·74, 2·64 to 5·31), jaundice (OR 5·47, 3·77 to 7·93), ascites (OR 5·85, 4·62 to 7·41), gastrointestinal haemorrhage (OR 3·01, 2·33 to 3·90) and hepatic coma (OR 5·11, 3·79 to 6·87).

CONCLUSION

Patients with liver cirrhosis had increased mortality and complications after non-hepatic surgery, particularly those with cirrhosis-related clinical indicators.

Development and validation of a comorbidity scoring system for patients with cirrhosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

At least 40% of patients with cirrhosis have comorbidities that increase mortality. We developed a cirrhosis-specific comorbidity scoring system (CirCom) to help determine how these comorbidities affect mortality and compared it with the generic Charlson Comorbidity Index.

METHODS

We used data from nationwide health care registries to identify Danish citizens diagnosed with cirrhosis in 1999-2008 (n = 12,976). They were followed through 2010 and characterized by 34 comorbidities. We used Cox regression to assign severity weights to comorbidities with an adjusted mortality hazard ratio (HR) ≥ 1.20. Each patient's CirCom score was based on, at most, 2 of these comorbidities. Performance was measured with Harrell's C statistic and the Net Reclassification Index (NRI) and results were compared with those obtained using the Charlson Index (based on 17 comorbidities). Findings were validated in 2 separate cohorts of patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis C.

RESULTS

The CirCom score included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial disease, epilepsy, substance abuse, heart failure, nonmetastatic cancer, metastatic cancer, and chronic kidney disease; 24.2% of patients had 1 or more of these, and mortality correlated with the CirCom score. Patients' CirCom score correlated with their Charlson Comorbidity Index (Kendall's τ = 0.57; P < .0001). Compared with the Charlson Index, the CirCom score increased Harrell's C statistic by 0.6% (95% confidence interval: 0.3%-0.8%). The NRI for the CirCom score was 5.2% (95% confidence interval: 3.7%-6.9%), and the NRI for the Charlson Index was 3.6% (95% confidence interval: 2.3%-5.0%). Similar results were obtained from the validation cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a scoring system to predict mortality among patients with cirrhosis based on 9 comorbidities. This system had higher C statistic and NRI values than the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and is easier to use. It could therefore be a preferred method to predict death or survival of patients and for use in epidemiologic studies.

Exploration of a symptoms experience in people with obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent condition strongly associated with obesity that can result in premature death. Little is known about the symptoms experience in this progressive disease, preventing health care providers from intervening in the early stages.

PURPOSE

This study explicated symptoms in persons with NAFLD at higher risk of disease progression defined as the presence of one or two copies of the PNPLA3 (rs738409)-G allele.

METHOD

Guided by the Symptoms Experience Model, 42 persons older than 21 years of age with diagnosed NAFLD were recruited from Western Michigan specialty offices in this cross-sectional descriptive study design. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used to measure the symptoms experience.

DISCUSSION

Participants (97%) experienced 1 or more symptoms (average number of symptoms 12.02, standard deviation = 8.817). There was no statistically significant relationship between symptoms and the PNPLA3 (rs738409) variants. Significant predictors of mean frequency, severity, and distress of symptoms (the Total Memorial Symptom Scale) (F[15, 25] = 2.609, p = .016) were identified.

CONCLUSION

People with NAFLD experience an average of 12 symptoms.

Natural history of cirrhosis

Significant strides have been made in the last few years in advancing our knowledge of the natural history of cirrhosis. These include (1) a better understanding of prognosis in compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, (2) improved estimates of the natural course of variceal bleeding in patients receiving standard of care therapy, (3) recognition of renal failure and infection as important determinants of mortality in the clinic course, (4) realization of the importance of hepatic venous pressure gradient as a marker of prognosis, progression, and treatment response, and (5) evolution of noninvasive studies of liver stiffness as potential predictors of decompensation. Further studies identifying cirrhotics at highest risk of transitioning from a compensated state to a decompensated state will be important in order to alter the natural history of cirrhosis.

Natural history of cirrhosis

Significant strides have been made in the last few years in advancing our knowledge of the natural history of cirrhosis. These include (1) a better understanding of prognosis in compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, (2) improved estimates of the natural course of variceal bleeding in patients receiving standard of care therapy, (3) recognition of renal failure and infection as important determinants of mortality in the clinic course, (4) realization of the importance of hepatic venous pressure gradient as a marker of prognosis, progression, and treatment response, and (5) evolution of noninvasive studies of liver stiffness as potential predictors of decompensation. Further studies identifying cirrhotics at highest risk of transitioning from a compensated state to a decompensated state will be important in order to alter the natural history of cirrhosis.

The burden of liver disease in Europe: a review of available epidemiological data

To survey the burden of liver disease in Europe and its causes 260 epidemiological studies published in the last five years were reviewed. The incidence and prevalence of cirrhosis and primary liver cancer are key to understand the burden of liver disease. They represent the end-stage of liver pathology and thus are indicative of the associated mortality. About 0.1% of Hungarian males will die of cirrhosis every year compared with 0.001% of Greek females. WHO estimate that liver cancer is responsible for around 47,000 deaths per year in the EU. Harmful alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis B and C and metabolic syndromes related to overweight and obesity are the leading causes of cirrhosis and primary liver cancer in Europe. Chronic hepatitis B affects 0.5-0.7% of the European population. In the last decade the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C was 0.13-3.26%. It is of great concern that about 90% of people in Europe infected by viral hepatitis are unaware of their status. Available data suggest the prevalence rate of NAFLD is 2-44% in the general European population (including obese children) and 42.6-69.5% in people with type 2 diabetes. Each of these four major causes of liver disease is amenable to prevention and treatment, reducing the burden of liver disease in Europe and saving lives. Further surveys are urgently needed to implement cost-effective prevention programmes and novel treatments to tackle this problem.

The clinical course of alcoholic cirrhosis: effects of hepatic metabolic capacity, alcohol consumption, and hyponatremia--a historical cohort study

Background

The cirrhosis complications hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, and variceal bleeding increase mortality but develop in random sequence. Therefore prognoses based on the presence or absence of these clinical complications are inherently inaccurate, and other determinants of the clinical course should be identified. Here we present our study of patho-etiological factors that may be causally involved in the development of specific complications to alcoholic cirrhosis; it was based on a model of cirrhosis pathophysiology encompassing hepatic metabolic capacity, continued alcohol consumption, and circulatory dysfunction.

Methods

We followed a Danish community-based cohort of 466 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Stratified Cox regression was used to examine the effects of GEC (a measure of hepatic metabolic capacity), alcohol consumption, and plasma sodium concentration (a measure of circulatory dysfunction) on the hazard rates of first-time hepatic encephalopathy, first-time ascites, first-time variceal bleeding, and mortality. We adjusted for confounding by comorbidity, gender, and age. Data on risk factors and confounders were updated during follow-up.

Results

A low GEC increased the risk of first-time hepatic encephalopathy (hazard ratio [HR] 1.21 per 0.1 mmol/min GEC loss, 95% CI 1.11-1.31), but was unassociated with other adverse events. Alcohol consumption increased the risk of first-time ascites (HR 3.18, 95% CI 1.19-8.47), first-time variceal bleeding (HR 2.78, 95% CI 1.59-4.87), and mortality (HR 2.45, 95% CI 1.63-3.66), but not the risk of first-time hepatic encephalopathy. Hyponatremia increased the risk of all adverse events.

Conclusions

Reduced hepatic metabolic capacity, alcohol consumption, and hyponatremia were causally involved in the development of specific complications to alcoholic cirrhosis.

Patient anxiety and concern as predictors for the perceived quality of treatment and patient reported outcome (PRO) in orthopaedic surgery

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that patients' anxiety and dissatisfaction are predictors for increased postoperative pain and reduced efficacy of pain treatment. However, it remains to be shown whether patient anxiety and concern are predictors for the perceived quality of treatment and patient reported outcome (PRO).The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a correlation between preoperative anxiety and concern, and the perceived quality of postoperative treatment and outcome. The hypothesis is that anxious and concerned patients are less satisfied with treatment and have a poorer outcome.

METHODS/DESIGN

This study is designed as a prospective follow-up study and has the aim of investigating the correlation between patient anxiety and concern, patients' perceived quality of treatment and outcome. This correlation will be detected using five questionnaires: CMD-SQ (Common Mental Disorders Screening Questionnaire), EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), Short form 12 (SF-12), "What is your evaluation of the patient progress in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery?" (HVOK), Questionnaire for patients who have had hip surgery (RCS) and Oxford Hip Score (OHS) or Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS). The patients will complete the above mentioned questionnaires preoperatively in the outpatient department, and postoperatively just before discharge from the inpatient department, and 12 and 52 weeks after the operation. The study includes a reliability test of CMD-SQ regarding this specific population and tested by means of a Kappa. A total of 500 hip- and shoulder-patients will be included from October 2010 till October 2011.

DISCUSSION

If a correlation between patient anxiety and concern, patients' perceived quality of treatment and patient reported outcome is found, it will be recommended to screen all hip- and shoulder-patients for anxiety and concern preoperatively. Besides, it would be relevant to carry out investigations of possible interventions towards anxious and concerned patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials: NCT01205295.

Incidence, etiology and mortality of cirrhosis: a population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Knowledge on the prognosis among patients with cirrhosis is mainly based on clinical trials with selected patient groups as well as population-based register studies with suboptimal diagnostic reliability. The aim of the study was to describe incidence, etiology, and mortality of well-validated cirrhotic cases in a population-based cohort at Funen (population 470,000) between 1996 and 2006.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A population-based cohort study with case identification from discharge diagnosis followed by manual validation of patient records with inclusion of cases that fulfilled predefined diagnostic criteria.

RESULTS

4010 possible cases were identified. 1369 patients were included, 67% males, mean age 56.4 years, 75% had cirrhotic complications at entry. Mean follow-up was 3.6 years with a total of 4976 years of follow-up. The incidence was 33/100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval CI 28-40). Stratified for age and sex, the incidence was twice as high for men compared with women in all age groups. The five-year mortality was 62% (95% CI 59-65). A multivariate analysis showed a high mortality associated with male gender (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.08-1.42), ages above 70 years (HR 2.01 95% CI 1.65-2.47) compared with ages 50-59 years, complications present at diagnosis (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.09-1.50) and etiology of alcoholic disease or cryptogenic cirrhosis (HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.22-4.67 and 2.26, 95% CI 1.13-4.53).

CONCLUSIONS

Incidence of cirrhosis is higher among men than among women. High age, male gender, alcoholic cirrhosis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, and complications at the time of diagnosis increased mortality.

Liver stiffness and 30-day mortality in a cohort of patients admitted to hospital

BACKGROUND

Transient elastography (TE) is a new noninvasive method to assess the degree of liver fibrosis by measuring liver stiffness. The objective of this study was to determine whether increased liver stiffness in patients admitted to medical wards was associated with increased 30-day mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective cohort study at the medical admissions ward at Odense University Hospital, Denmark, covering a population of 300 000 inhabitants. Consecutive patients ≥ 18 years of age were examined by TE (Fibroscan) at admission. Outcome measure was 30-day mortality.

RESULTS

Among 568 patients admitted during 24 days, 289 (50·8%) were included in the study, 212 (73·4%) with valid TE measurement. Increased liver stiffness (TE value > 8 kPa) was found in 22·6% (48/212). This was independently associated with cirrhosis of the liver (P < 0·001) and congestive heart failure (CHF) (P < 0·001). The estimated prevalence of cirrhosis was 7% (95% CI 4-11%). The 30-day mortality among patients with TE value > 8 kPa was 20·8% (10/48, 95%CI 10·5-35·0%) compared to patients with TE value ≤ 8 kPa 3·7% (6/164, 95%CI 1·3-7·8%) (P < 0·001), and TE value > 8 kPa was an independent predictor of death.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated TE value at admission is associated with increased mortality, cirrhosis of the liver and CHF. This information may potentially be used to improve the outcome of high-risk patients admitted to hospital.

Incidence and mortality of alcoholic hepatitis in Denmark 1999-2008: a nationwide population based cohort study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute life- and health-threatening disease that may be increasingly frequent. However, accurate and representative data on time trends in its incidence and prognosis are not available. This study aims to provide nationwide population-based estimates of alcoholic hepatitis incidence and mortality in Denmark, 1999-2008.

METHODS

We identified, from the Danish National Registry of Patients, all patients with a first-time discharge diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis from 1999 and through 2008. We also ascertained whether patients had cirrhosis. We computed the annual incidence rates as well as 28-, 84-day, 5-year, and 10-year mortality rates.

RESULTS

We found 1951 patients with alcoholic hepatitis, 63% men. During the study decade, the annual incidence rate in the Danish population rose from 37 to 46 per 10(6) for men and from 24 to 34 per 10(6) for women. The steepest increase was observed among middle-aged women. The 28-day mortality rate rose from 12% to 15%, and the 84-day mortality rate rose from 14% to 24%, similarly for men and women. The increase in short-term mortality was attributable to increasing patient age and prevalence of cirrhosis. The 5-year mortality was 56% overall, 47% without cirrhosis, and 69% with cirrhosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of alcoholic hepatitis in Denmark has increased during the recent decade. The patients are older at diagnosis and more have cirrhosis, resulting in worse short-term prognosis. The long-term prognosis is grave, especially for patients with cirrhosis. The increase in incidence mirrors changes in alcohol consumption in Denmark.

Increased mortality among persons infected with hepatitis C virus

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The long-term mortality of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not known; few studies have controlled for potential confounders, investigated how mortality changes with age at diagnosis and length of follow-up period, provided absolute risk estimates of death, or analyzed specific causes of death.

METHODS

Using a Danish population, we compared mortality of a cohort of 10,991 HCV-infected patients with that of an age- and sex-matched cohort. Using regression analysis, we adjusted for municipality of residence, history of psychiatric illness, comorbidities, alcohol and drug abuse, and income. We analyzed causes of death and effects of HCV with age and length of follow-up period.

RESULTS

HCV-infected patients had lower income levels and more comorbidities, psychiatric illnesses, and substance and alcohol abuse than the comparison cohort. The 10-year survival rate decreased from 84.1% among HCV-infected patients aged 20 to 29 years to 21.1% among those aged 70 years or older. The increased risk of death among HCV-infected patients was more pronounced in the first year of follow-up period than in subsequent years and in the unadjusted than in the adjusted analysis. Starting in the second year of the follow-up period, HCV-infected patients aged 20 to 29 years had an 18.2-fold increased risk of death, whereas those that were 70 years or older had a 1.6-fold increased risk. Most deaths among younger patients were from unnatural causes, and most deaths among patients 70 years or older were from non-liver-related natural causes.

CONCLUSIONS

HCV infection is associated with increased mortality; younger patients (age, 20-29 y) have an increased risk of unnatural death.

Combinatorial gene therapy renders increased survival in cirrhotic rats

Background

Liver fibrosis ranks as the second cause of death in México's productive-age population. This pathology is characterized by acummulation of fibrillar proteins in hepatic parenchyma causing synthetic and metabolic disfunction. Remotion of excessive fibrous proteins might result in benefit for subjects increasing survival index. The goal of this work was to find whether the already known therapeutical effect of human urokinase Plasminogen Activator and human Matrix Metalloprotease 8 extends survival index in cirrhotic animals.

Methods

Wistar rats (80 g) underwent chronic intoxication with CCl₄: mineral oil for 8 weeks. Cirrhotic animals were injected with a combined dose of Ad-delta-huPA plus Ad-MMP8 (3 × 10¹¹ and 1.5 × 10¹¹ vp/Kg, respectively) or with Ad-beta-Gal (4.5 × 10¹¹) and were killed after 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days. Then, liver and serum were collected. An additional set of cirrhotic animals injected with combined gene therapy was also monitored for their probability of survival.

Results

Only the cirrhotic animals treated with therapeutical genes (Ad-delta-huPA+Ad-MMP-8) showed improvement in liver fibrosis. These results correlated with hydroxyproline determinations. A significant decrement in alpha-SMA and TGF-beta1 gene expression was also observed. Cirrhotic rats treated with Ad-delta-huPA plus Ad-MMP8 had a higher probability of survival at 60 days with respect to Ad-beta-Gal-injected animals.

Conclusion

A single administration of Ad-delta-huPA plus Ad-MMP-8 is efficient to induce fibrosis regression and increase survival in experimental liver fibrosis.

Clinical course of alcoholic liver cirrhosis: a Danish population-based cohort study

The clinical course of alcoholic cirrhosis, a condition with a high mortality, has not been well described. We examined prevalence, risk, chronology, and mortality associated with three complications of cirrhosis: ascites, variceal bleeding, and hepatic encephalopathy. We followed a population-based cohort of 466 Danish patients diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis in 1993-2005, starting from the date of hospital diagnosis and ending in August 2006. Data were extracted from medical charts during the follow-up period. Risk and mortality associated with complications were calculated using competing-risks methods. At diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis, 24% of patients had no complications, 55% had ascites alone, 6% had variceal bleeding alone, 4% had ascites and variceal bleeding, and 11% had hepatic encephalopathy. One-year mortality was 17% among patients with no initial complications, 20% following variceal bleeding alone, 29% following ascites alone, 49% following ascites and variceal bleeding (from the onset of the later of the two complications), and 64% following hepatic encephalopathy. Five-year mortality ranged from 58% to 85%. The risk of complications was about 25% after 1 year and 50% after 5 years for all patients without hepatic encephalopathy. The complications under study did not develop in any predictable sequence. Although patients initially without complications usually developed ascites first (12% within 1 year), many developed either variceal bleeding first (6% within 1 year) or hepatic encephalopathy first (4% within 1 year). Subsequent complications occurred in an unpredictable order among patients with ascites or variceal bleeding.

CONCLUSION

Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis had a high prevalence of complications at the time of cirrhosis diagnosis. The presence and type of complications at diagnosis were predictors of mortality, but not of the risk of subsequent complications.

The effect of comorbidity and age on hospital mortality and length of stay in patients with sepsis

PURPOSE

Sepsis is believed to be responsible for substantial health care burden, but there is limited information about its magnitude and the factors affecting health outcomes in Asian population. The aim of the study was to assess the disease burden of sepsis and to test the usefulness of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and age as risk-adjusted hospital mortality predictors in patients with sepsis using hospital administrative database.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of hospital discharge database from 2004 to 2007 to identify cases with sepsis, comorbidity, and organ failure using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th Revision, Australian Modification codes was conducted.

RESULTS

Of 305,637 hospitalized patients over 4 years, 6929 (2.27%) patients had sepsis, with 1216 (17.5%) patients associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The mortality rates increased consistently in patients with CCI ranging from none to low, moderate and high grade for both patients with ICU admission (39.4%, 51.6%, 55.9%, and 54.3% respectively; P < .001) and patients without ICU admission (6.4%, 8.7%, 17.1%, and 25.3% respectively; P < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that CCI (odds ratio, 11.8; high versus none) and age (odds ratio, 8.46; aged 85 years and older versus aged 18-54 years old) were significant and independent predictors of hospital mortality. Similar results were seen with hospital length of stay by zero-truncated negative binomial regression model analysis.

CONCLUSION

The sepsis-related mortality and resource utilization are high in this population as well. Comorbidities and advanced age were some of the most important contributors to hospital mortality and resource utilization.

Cardiac and systemic haemodynamic complications of liver cirrhosis

Cardiovascular complications of liver cirrhosis include cardiac dysfunction and abnormalities in the central-, splanchnic,- and peripheral circulation. Vasodilatation prevails, but vascular beds with various degrees of reduced and increased haemodynamic resistance are the results of massive activation of powerful homeostatic, regulatory systems. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy implies systolic and diastolic dysfunction and electrophysiological abnormalities, an entity that is different from alcoholic heart muscle disease. Being often clinical latent, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy can be unmasked by physical and pharmacological strain. Cardiac failure is an important cause of mortality after liver transplantation and stressful procedures as insertions of transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunt (TIPS), peritoneal venous shunting, and other types of surgery. Improvement of liver function has been shown to reverse the cardiovascular complications. The clinical significance is an important topic for future research. At present, no specific treatment can be recommended, and the cardiac failure in cirrhosis should be treated as in non-cirrhotic patients with sodium restriction, diuretics, and beta-adrenergic blocking agents. Special care should be taken with the use of ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin antagonist in these patients.

The galactose elimination capacity and mortality in 781 Danish patients with newly-diagnosed liver cirrhosis: a cohort study

Background

Despite its biologic plausibility, the association between liver function and mortality of patients with chronic liver disease is not well supported by data. Therefore, we examined whether the galactose elimination capacity (GEC), a physiological measure of the total metabolic capacity of the liver, was associated with mortality in a large cohort of patients with newly-diagnosed cirrhosis.

Methods

By combining data from a GEC database with data from healthcare registries we identified cirrhosis patients with a GEC test at the time of cirrhosis diagnosis in 1992–2005. We divided the patients into 10 equal-sized groups according to GEC and calculated all-cause mortality as well as cirrhosis-related and not cirrhosis-related mortality for each group. Cox regression was used to adjust the association between GEC and all-cause mortality for confounding by age, gender and comorbidity, measured by the Charlson comorbidity index.

Results

We included 781 patients, and 454 (58%) of them died during 2,617 years of follow-up. Among the 75% of patients with a decreased GEC (<1.75 mmol/min), GEC was a strong predictor of 30-day, 1-year, and 5-year mortality, and this could not be explained by confounding (crude hazard ratio for a 0.5 mmol/min GEC increase = 0.74, 95% CI 0.59–0.92; adjusted hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% CI 0.51–0.81). Further analyses showed that the association between GEC and mortality was identical for patients with alcoholic or non-alcoholic cirrhosis etiology, that it also existed among patients with comorbidity, and that GEC was only a predictor of cirrhosis-related mortality. Among the 25% of patients with a GEC in the normal range (≥ 1.75 mmol/min), GEC was only weakly associated with mortality (crude hazard ratio = 0.79, 95% CI 0.59–1.05; adjusted hazard ratio = 0.80, 95% CI 0.60–1.08).

Conclusion

Among patients with newly-diagnosed cirrhosis and a decreased GEC, the GEC was a strong predictor of short- and long-term all-cause and cirrhosis-related mortality. These findings support the expectation that loss of liver function increases mortality.

Socioeconomic status and survival of cirrhosis patients: a Danish nationwide cohort study

Background

Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor for liver cirrhosis, but it is unknown whether it is a prognostic factor after cirrhosis diagnosis. We examined whether marital status, employment, and personal income were associated with the survival of cirrhosis patients.

Methods

Using registry-data we conducted a population-based cohort study of 1,765 Danish cirrhosis patients diagnosed in 1999–2001 at age 45–59 years. Follow-up ended on 31 December 2003. With Cox regression we examined the associations between marital status (never married, divorced, married), employment (employed, disability pensioner, unemployed), personal income (0–49, 50–99, 100+ percent of the national average) and survival, controlling for gender, age, cirrhosis severity, comorbidity, and substance abuse.

Results

Five-year survival was higher for married patients (48%) than for patients who never married (40%) or were divorced (34%), but after adjustment only divorced patients had poorer survival than married patients (adjusted hazard ratio for divorced vs. married = 1.22, 95% CI 1.04–1.42). Five-year survival was lower for disability pensioners (31%) than for employed (46%) or unemployed patients (48%), also after adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio for disability pensioners vs. employed = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09–1.66). Personal income was not associated with survival.

Conclusion

Marital status and employment were associated with the survival of cirrhosis patients. Specifically, divorced cirrhosis patients and cirrhosis patients who never married had a poorer survival than did married cirrhosis patients, and cirrhosis patients who were disability pensioners had a poorer survival than did employed or unemployed cirrhosis patients. The poorer survival for the divorced and for the disability pensioners could not be explained by differences in other socioeconomic factors, gender, age, cirrhosis severity, substance abuse, or comorbidity. Personal income was not associated with survival.

Influence of comorbidities and age on outcome following burn injury in older adults

Despite advances in medical and surgical techniques, older adults tend to be at high risk for adverse outcomes following burn injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative impacts of age and medical comorbidities on outcome following injury in a cohort of older adults. This was a retrospective study of all patients age 55 and over admitted to the University of Washington Burn Center from 1999 to 2003. To examine the effect of baseline medical comorbidities on outcome, a Charlson Comorbidity Index score was calculated for each patient. Multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the impact of age and comorbidities on mortality and other complications. Patient records were also matched with the National Death Index to determine the effects of age and comorbidities on mortality within 1 year following hospital discharge. A total of 325 patients who were of 55 years and older were admitted to the burn center during the 5-year study period. The overall mortality rate was 18.5%. Mortality was independently associated with age, inhalation injury, and burn size. One-year mortality was significantly associated with those older than age 75 and the Charlson score. Longer length of stay was significantly associated with burn size, inhalation injury, and total number of in-hospital complications. This study demonstrates that patient age-independent of baseline medical comorbidities-and TBSA burn are the most significant factors impacting in-hospital mortality risk following burn injury. Higher number of medical comorbidities was associated with increased mortality risk within 1 year following discharge.