Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients with acute liver failure on admission and comparison of variables between patients who survived and died.
| Parameters | Patients who survived (n=65) | Patients who died (n=112) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (male/female) | 33/32 | 49/63 | 0.37 |
| Age (years) | 40.0 (31.0) | 46.0 (31.5) | 0.03 |
| Etiologies | 0.26 | ||
| Drug (non-herb) toxicity | 18 | 29 | |
| Herbs | 12 | 18 | |
| Indeterminate cause | 13 | 39 | |
| Viral causes | 10 | 10 | |
| Other causes | 12 | 16 | |
| Grade of HE | <0.01 | ||
| ≤II | 57 | 31 | |
| II | 8 | 81 | |
| Days from onset of illness to the development of HE | 11 (15) | 10 (15) | 0.30 |
| Serum ALT (U/L) | 796 (1817) | 756 (1162) | 0.90 |
| Serum AST (U/L) | 392.0 (1244.5) | 534.0 (824.0) | 0.43 |
| Serum Alp (U/L) | 162 (83) | 165 (87) | 0.85 |
| Serum TBil (μmol/L) | 326.35±161.32 | 357.57±152.70 | 0.76 |
| Serum albumin (g/L) | 29 (6) | 28 (8) | 0.06 |
| Serum cholinesterase (U/L) | 2964 (2045) | 2895 (1997) | 0.33 |
| Serum LDH (U/L) | 264.0 (164.0) | 366.5 (486.0) | <0.01 |
| Serum creatinine (μmol/L) | 84.5 (38.0) | 88.0 (57.0) | 0.25 |
| Serum urea nitrogen (mmol/L) | 4.00 (4.25) | 3.9 (5.3) | 0.48 |
| Serum glucose (mmol/L) | 5.15 (3.13) | 5.85 (4.00) | 0.06 |
| Serum Na+ (mmol/L) | 137 (6) | 135 (8) | 0.08 |
| Serum K+ (mmol/L) | 3.74±0.59 | 3.86±0.70 | 0.29 |
| Serum Cl- (mmol/L) | 102.9 (6.9) | 100.5 (8.6) | 0.14 |
| White blood cell count (×109) | 8.35 (5.42) | 10.45 (8.61) | 0.11 |
| Platelet count (×109) | 122 (106) | 87 (102) | 0.01 |
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 116.5 (34.0) | 118.7 (36.5) | 0.37 |
| PTA (%) | 30.00 (17.21) | 16.97 (13.70) | <0.01 |
| INR | 1.78 (0.91) | 3.39 (1.64) | <0.01 |
| Arterial BLA (μmol/L) | 70.50 (28.15) | 153.50 (62.00) | <0.01 |
| Arterial blood lactate (mmol/L) | 2.75(2.25) | 3.40(5.05) | 0.42 |
| Arterial blood pH | 7.47 (0.08) | 7.48 (0.07) | 0.63 |
HE, hepatic encephalopathy; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; TBil, total bilirubin; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; PTA, prothrombin activity; INR, international normalized ratio; BLA, blood ammonia.