Cirrhosis/Liver Failure News

Gastroenterology faculty, nurse practitioners and physician assistants had excellent concordance in classifying grade 2 or higher hepatic encephalopathy compared with gastroenterology and hepatology physicians, according to a recently published study. Lower grades, however, showed significant discordance between the two groups.

The pediatric chronic liver failure sequential organ failure assessment, or pCLIF-SOFA, performed better than Child-Pugh or pediatric end-stage liver disease assessment in predicting 28-day mortality among pediatric patients with decompensated chronic liver disease, according to recently published data.

Deferred ursodeoxycholic acid treatment or no treatment for patients with early primary biliary cholangitis did not affect overall mortality or liver-related outcomes, according to a recently published study.

Magnetic resonance imaging alone to detect early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma had a low level of sensitivity among patients with cirrhosis, according to a recently published meta-analysis. However, ultrasound with alpha-fetoprotein significantly increased the sensitivity of HCC detection.

Blood urea nitrogen level and urinary sodium excretion correlated with response to Samsca, or tolvaptan, in patients with cirrhosis and hepatic edema, according to recently published data.

Among patients with HF, those with the highest degree of liver stiffness were at elevated risk for mortality and HF rehospitalization, researchers reported.

Chronic liver damage known as cirrhosis has a variety of causes. What remains constant is its potential progression to liver failure. Researchers continue to seek verifiable methods to prevent the development of cirrhosis firstly and, secondly, to predict its progression or involvement to worse conditions such as liver cancer, coronary artery disease or hepatic encephalopathy.

The FDA has added a new boxed warning to Ocaliva, a treatment for primary biliary cholangitis, to clarify current recommendations, according to a release from the agency. The FDA will also require a medication guide for patients, as incorrect dosage can lead to liver injury.

Child-Pugh B and C, and elevated alpha-fetoprotein, at diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma corresponded with a diagnosis outside Milan criteria and surveillance failure during a surveillance program of patients with cirrhosis.

Hepatitis C virus continues to affect millions of people worldwide. WHO estimates that 71 million people are living with chronic HCV infection, and about 399,000 people die from complications of the virus each year, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.