Table 3.
Characteristics of included patients and factors associated with ACLF at enrollment.
| All (n = 139) | no ACLF (n = 104) | ACLF (n = 35) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 55.3 ± 11.2 | 55.4 ± 11.8 | 54.8 ± 9.59 | 0.783 |
| Male Gender, n (%) | 98 (70.5) | 73 (70.2) | 25 (71.4) | 0.890 |
| Etiology of cirrhosis, n (%)♦ | ||||
| Hepatitis C | 52 (37.4) | 34 (32.7) | 18 (51.4) | 0.048* |
| Hepatitis B | 10 (7.2) | 7 (6.7) | 3 (8.6) | 0.715 |
| Alcohol | 70 (50.4) | 56 (53.8) | 14 (40.0) | 0.156 |
| Complication at admission, n (%) | ||||
| Ascites | 69 (49.6) | 40 (38.5) | 29 (82.9) | <0.001*** |
| Hepatic encephalopathy | 63 (45.3) | 37 (35.6) | 26 (74.3) | <0.001*** |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 48 (34.5) | 43 (41.3) | 5 (14.3) | 0.004** |
| Bacterial infection | 69 (49.6) | 48 (46.2) | 21 (60) | 0.156 |
| Medications at admission, n (%) | ||||
| Propranolol | 51 (36.7) | 42 (40.4) | 9 (25.7) | 0.119 |
| Spironolactone | 44 (31.7) | 30 (28.8) | 14 (40) | 0.220 |
| Furosemide | 30 (21.6) | 17 (16.3) | 13 (37.1) | 0.010* |
| Lactulose | 29 (20.9) | 18 (17.3) | 11 (31.4) | 0.075 |
| Norfloxacin | 16 (11.5) | 8 (7.7) | 8 (22.9) | 0.015* |
| Omeprazole | 49 (35.5) | 39 (37.9) | 10 (28.6) | 0.321 |
| Oral hypoglycemic•• | 19 (13.8) | 17 (16.5) | 2 (5.7) | 0.109 |
| Insulin | 15 (11.0) | 10 (9.9) | 5 (14.3) | 0.475 |
| Child-Pugh Classification, n (%) | ||||
| Child-Pugh A | 11 (10.6) | 11 (8.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.065 |
| Child-Pugh B | 71 (51.4) | 60 (57.7) | 11 (32.4) | 0.017* |
| Child-Pugh C | 56 (40.6) | 33 (31.7) | 23 (67.6) | <0.001*** |
| MELD score, mean ± SD | 17.5 ± 6.9 | 14.8 ± 4.4 | 25.4 ± 7.2 | <0.001*** |
| Biochemical data | ||||
| Creatinine (mg/dL), median | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.4 | <0.001 |
| Total leukocyte (mm3), median | 6700.0 | 6540.0 | 8450.0 | 0.072 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL), median | 2.1 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 0.029* |
| Albumin (g/dL), mean ± SD | 2.4 ± 0.6 | 2.4 ± 0.6 | 2.4 ± 0.6 | 0.893 |
| INR, median | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.034* |
| Sodium (mEq/L), mean ± SD | 134.9 ± 5.5 | 136.2 ± 5.0 | 131.5 ± 5.5 | <0.001*** |
| CRP (mg/L), median | 19.6 | 18.0 | 26.4 | 0.029* |
| MAP (mmHg), mean ± SD | 83.4 ± 16.9 | 85.4 ± 15.5 | 77.5 ± 20.0 | 0.020* |
ACLF. acute-on-chronic liver failure; SD. standard deviation; INR. international normalized ratio; CRP. C-reactive protein; MELD. model for end-stage liver disease; MAP. Mean Arterial Pressure. ♦Of the 52 patients with hepatitis C as etiology of cirrhosis 39 (75%) were male and 13 (25%) female; Of the 10 patients with hepatitis B as etiology of cirrhosis 8 (80%) were male and 2 (20%) female; Of the 70 patients with alcohol use as etiology of cirrhosis 65 (92.9%) were male and 5 (7.1%) female. ••Metformin, glibenclamide and glimepiride. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001.