Table 2.
Diagnosis, comorbidities, cirrhosis-related complications, and health service factors at index admission by Indigenous status
| Indigenous | Non-Indigenous | Total | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 779 (%) | N = 10,642 (%) | N = 11,421 (%) | ||
| Presumed aetiology | ||||
| Alcohol | 547 (70%) | 5041 (47%) | 5588 (49%) | < 0.001 |
| Cryptogenic or unspecified cirrhosis | 172 (22%) | 3199 (30%) | 3371 (30%) | < 0.001 |
| Chronic HCV | 168 (22%) | 1999 (19%) | 2167 (19%) | 0.06 |
| NAFLD or NASH | 23 (3%) | 560 (5%) | 583 (5%) | 0.005 |
| Chronic HBV | 48 (6%) | 459 (4%) | 507 (4%) | 0.02 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Charlson comorbidity indexa | ||||
| 0 (no comorbidity) | 446 (57%) | 6188 (58%) | 6634 (58%) | 0.04 |
| 1 | 99 (13%) | 1165 (11%) | 1264 (11%) | |
| 2 | 109 (14%) | 1804 (17%) | 1913 (17%) | |
| ≥ 3 | 125 (16%) | 1485 (14%) | 1610 (14%) | |
| Diabetes | 192 (25%) | 2080 (20%) | 2272 (20%) | < 0.001 |
| Cancer | 95 (12%) | 1840 (17%) | 1935 (17%) | < 0.001 |
| Moderate or severe renal disease | 76 (10%) | 631 (6%) | 707 (6%) | < 0.001 |
| Congestive heart failure | 63 (8%) | 523 (5%) | 586 (5%) | < 0.001 |
| Drug use/abuse as cofactor | 29 (4%) | 243 (2%) | 272 (2%) | 0.01 |
| Complications of cirrhosis | ||||
| Ascites | 314 (40%) | 3555 (33%) | 3869 (34%) | < 0.001 |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 248 (32%) | 4055 (38%) | 4303 (38%) | < 0.001 |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma | 79 (10%) | 1396 (13%) | 1475 (13%) | 0.02 |
| Hepatic encephalopathy | 52 (7%) | 507 (5%) | 559 (5%) | 0.02 |
| Jaundice | 12 (2%) | 87 (1%) | 99 (1%) | 0.04 |
| Hepatorenal syndrome | 24 (3%) | 335 (3%) | 359 (3%) | 0.92 |
| Spontaneous acute peritonitis | 36 (5%) | 310 (3%) | 346 (3%) | 0.01 |
| Referral source | ||||
| Emergency department | 510 (68%) | 4790 (47%) | 5300 (48%) | < 0.001 |
| Outpatient clinic from this/other hospital | 133 (18%) | 2484 (24%) | 2617 (24%) | |
| Private medical practitioner | 37 (5%) | 2274 (22%) | 2311 (21%) | |
| Other | 73 (10%) | 724 (7%) | 797 (7%) | |
| Length of hospital stay | ||||
| 1 day | 108 (14%) | 3056 (29%) | 3164 (28%) | < 0.001 |
| 2–4 days | 186 (24%) | 2071 (20%) | 2257 (20%) | |
| 5–9 days | 218 (28%) | 2323 (22%) | 2541 (22%) | |
| 10–19 days | 156 (20%) | 1763 (17%) | 1919 (17%) | |
| 20–29 days | 47 (6%) | 617 (6%) | 664 (6%) | |
| 30+ days | 64 (8%) | 812 (8%) | 876 (8%) | |
| Utilised allied health service | ||||
| Pharmacist | 108 (14%) | 1776 (17%) | 1884 (17%) | 0.04 |
| Dietician | 292 (38%) | 3500 (33%) | 3792 (33%) | 0.02 |
| Social worker | 208 (27%) | 2425 (23%) | 2633 (23%) | 0.01 |
| Occupational therapist | 104 (13%) | 1759 (17%) | 1863 (16%) | 0.02 |
| Physiotherapist | 223 (29%) | 3074 (29%) | 3297 (29%) | 0.88 |
| Palliative care | 26 (3%) | 447 (4%) | 473 (4%) | 0.24 |
aHigher scores indicate higher comorbidity burden