Table 2.
Characteristics according to social support (a functional aspect of social relationships) in individuals with cirrhosis (n = 541) participating in the Danish National Health Surveys 2010, 2013, or 2017.
| Low social support | Medium or high social support | |
|---|---|---|
| Number |
122 |
419 |
| Other aspects of social relationships | ||
| Loneliness (functional aspect) | 73 (60) | 119 (28) |
| Living alone (structural aspect) | 70 (57) | 192 (46) |
| Contacts with relatives and friends ≤2 per week (structural aspect)∗ |
60 (53) |
103 (26) |
| Demographic and clinical characteristics | ||
| Men | 77 (63) | 270 (64) |
| Age, median (IQR) | 61 (54–68) | 62 (55–68) |
| Low level of education | 58 (48) | 177 (42) |
| History of decompensation | 50 (41) | 207 (49) |
| ≥5 years since cirrhosis diagnosis | 37 (30) | 137 (33) |
| Current alcohol drinkers | 82 (67) | 227 (54) |
| Alcohol amount in drinkers, median drinks per week (IQR) | 15 (6–41) | 12 (5–30) |
| Smoker | 66 (54) | 193 (46) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index = 0 | 57 (47) | 207 (49) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index = 1 | 33 (27) | 95 (23) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥2 | 32 (26) | 117 (28) |
| Physical health-related quality of life SF-12, median (IQR)† | 35 (28–47) | 37 (28–48) |
| Mental health-related quality SF-12, median (IQR)† | 41 (31–52) | 48 (39–57) |
∗
Defined as contact by phone, writing, or physical with relatives and friends. Values on frequency of contacts with relatives and friends were missing in 32 individuals.
†
Higher scores indicate better health; data for physical and mental SF-12 was missing in 112 individuals. SF-12, Short Form-12.