Risk and adverse outcomes of fractures in patients with liver cirrhosis: two nationwide retrospective cohort studies

BMJ Open. 2017 Oct 8;7(10):e017342. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017342.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate fracture risk and post-fracture outcomes in patients with and without liver cirrhosis (LC).

Design: Retrospective cohort study and nested fracture cohort study.

Setting: This study was based on Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database that included information on: (1) 3941 patients aged 20 years and older newly diagnosed with LC between 2000 and 2003; (2) 688290 hospitalised fracture patients aged 20 years and older between 2006 and 2013.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: Followed-up events of fracture from 2000 to 2008 were noted from medical claims to evaluate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of fracture associated with LC. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of adverse events after fracture were compared among patients with and without LC RESULTS: The incidences of fracture for people with and without LC were 29.1 and 17.2 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Compared with controls, the adjusted HR of fracture was 1.83 (95% CI 1.67 to 2.01) for patients with LC. Previous LC was associated with risks of septicaemia (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.60 to 1.96), acute renal failure (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.99), and 30-day in-hospital mortality (OR 1.61, 95 %CI 1.37 to 1.89) after fracture.

Conclusion: LC was associated with higher risk of fracture; patients with LC in particular had more complications and 30-day in-hospital mortality after fracture. Fracture prevention and attention to post-fracture adverse events are needed for these susceptible populations.

Keywords: fracture; liver cirrhosis; outcome; risk.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Databases, Factual
  • Female
  • Fractures, Bone / complications*
  • Fractures, Bone / mortality
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Liver Cirrhosis / complications*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / epidemiology
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sex Distribution
  • Taiwan / epidemiology
  • Young Adult