Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Characteristic | Total (N = 433) | 90 Day transplantation-free survival (n = 293) | Progression (n = 140) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 47.0 (34.8–54.3) | 47.0 (38.0–54.0) | 49.0 (45.0–63.0) | 0.006 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.462 | |||
| Male | 346 (79.90) | 237 (80.90) | 109 (77.90) | |
| Female | 87 (20.10) | 56 (19.10) | 31 (22.10) | |
| MELD score | 22.0 (16.8–25.0) | 22.0 (17.0–24.0) | 21.0 (18.0–27.0) | < 0.001 |
| Etiology, n (%) | 0.541 | |||
| HBV/HCV | 232 (53.60) | 154 (52.60) | 78 (55.70) | |
| Alcohol | 100 (23.10) | 73 (24.90) | 27 (19.30) | |
| HBV/HCV + Alcohol | 36 (8.30) | 25 (8.50) | 11 (7.90) | |
| Others | 65 (15.00) | 41 (14.00) | 24 (17.10) | |
| L3 SMI, cm2/m2 | 40 (36–45.5) | 41.1 (34.3–45.5) | 36.0 (30.0–38.9) | < 0.001 |
| Sarcopenia, n (%) | 250 (57.7) | 134 (45.7) | 116 (82.9) | < 0.001 |
| BMI | 23.7 (21.6–26.4) | 23.8 (21.7–27.2) | 23.6 (21.5–26.2) | 0.989 |
| Platelet (× 109/L) | 88.5 (60.8–131.0) | 101.0 (66.0–151.0) | 64.0 (43.0–99.0) | < 0.001 |
| Neutrophil (× 109/L) | 2.95 (1.26–5.44) | 4.06 (2.05–6.80) | 3.45 (0.89–4.78) | 0.435 |
| Lymphocyte (× 109/L) | 1.45 (0.85–4.02) | 1.22 (0.76–1.87) | 1.07 (0.68–3.37) | 0.016 |
| NLR | 2.21 (0.26–6.03) | 3.48 (1.82–7.42) | 3.93 (0.19–8.39) | 0.019 |
| PLR | 57.88 (17.40–101.52) | 87.03 (47.24–135.07) | 59.53 (13.06–121.25) | 0.955 |
| Serum albumin, g/L | 28.1 (25.8–31.3) | 28.3 (25.7–32.4) | 26.0 (21.1–28.3) | 0.31 |
| Creatinine, µmol/L | 71.0 (60.0–88.0) | 69.5 (57.1–78.5) | 88.9 (64.8–126.3) | 0.068 |
| Total bilirubin, µmol/L | 244.6 (161.7–332.5) | 255.5 (164.3–325.4) | 280.9 (208.2–491.8) | < 0.001 |
| Alanine aminotransferase, U/L | 112.5 (36.5–522.3) | 112.5 (38.0–485.0) | 54.5 (27.5–138.8) | 0.033 |
| International normalized ratio | 1.82 (1.56–2.09) | 1.75 (1.56–2.08) | 1.90 (1.65–2.46) | < 0.001 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 12.06 (7.27–28.25) | 10.73 (6.28–23.73) | 27.08 (12.96–47.81) | 0.002 |
| Interleukin-6, pg/mL | 18.34 (8.55–32.46) | 18.04 (8.95–30.52) | 49.62 (23.26–88.48) | 0.002 |
| Effective hepatic blood flow, L/min | 0.20 (0.14–0.27) | 0.22 (0.17–0.30) | 0.17 (0.11–0.20) | 0.063 |
| Sodium, mmol/L | 136.0 (133.0–138.4) | 137.0 (134.0–138.0) | 133.0 (131.0–137.0) | 0.009 |
| Prealbumin, g/L | 59.9 (50–89.2) | 60.7 (50–89.7) | 69.9 (50.8–91.1) | 0.806 |
| Alpha-fetoprotein, mmol/L | 28.0 (5.0–119.6) | 29.2 (5.5–108.7) | 5.2 (2.86–34.4) | 0.006 |
| aMore than one complication, n (%) | 223 (51.5) | 110 (37.5) | 113 (80.7) | < 0.001 |
Continuous variables are expressed as the median (IQR)
MELD score end-stage liver disease score, HBV hepatitis B virus, HCV hepatitis C virus, L3 SMI L3 skeletal muscle index, BMI body mass index, NLR neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, PLR platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio
aMore than one complication included gastroesophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, acute kidney injury, and infections