Longitudinal increase in albumin-bilirubin score is associated with non-malignancy-related mortality and quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 3;17(2):e0263464. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263464. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Due to the developments in the treatment for hepatitis, it is possible to prevent the progression of liver fibrosis and improve patients' prognosis even if it has already led to liver cirrhosis (LC). Consequently, a two-step study was conducted. To begin with, a retrospective study was conducted to identify the potential predictors of non-malignancy-related mortality from LC. Then, we prospectively analyzed the validity of these parameters as well as their association with patients' quality of life. In the retrospective study, 89 cases were included, and the multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that age (P = 0.012), model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score (P = 0.012), and annual rate of change of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with LC prognosis. In the prospective study, 70 patients were included, and the patients were divided into cirrhosis progression and non-progression groups. The univariate logistic regression analysis indicated the serum procollagen type III N-terminal peptide level (P = 0.040) and MELD score (P = 0.010) were significantly associated with the annual rate of change of the ALBI score. Furthermore, the mean Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire score worsened from 5.3 to 4.9 in the cirrhosis progression group (P = 0.034). In conclusion, a longitudinal increase in the ALBI score is closely associated with non-malignancy-related mortality and quality of life.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Albumins / analysis*
  • Bilirubin / analysis*
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Liver Cirrhosis / physiopathology*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / psychology*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Peptide Fragments / blood
  • Procollagen / blood
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Prospective Studies
  • Quality of Life*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

  • Albumins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Procollagen
  • procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide
  • Bilirubin

Grants and funding

The study was financially supported by ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Japan.