Role of sarcopenia and malnutrition in complications and mortality among liver cirrhosis patients

OBJECTIVE To analyze the effect of sarcopenia and malnutrition on complications and mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHOD This study employed a prospective cohort design involving 132 liver cirrhosis patients. Data collected included age, gender, etiology, duration of diagnosed liver cirrhosis, comorbidities, sarcopenia, nutritional status, complications, and mortality. Complications analyzed in this study included upper gastrointestinal bleeding, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy over a 12-month follow-up period. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the risks associated with sarcopenia and malnutrition, calculating the relative risk (RR). RESULTS This study involved 132 liver cirrhosis patients, of whom 76 were diagnosed with sarcopenia and 56 without sarcopenia. Additionally, 68 patients were malnourished, while 64 were not. Our findings showed that patients with sarcopenia had a higher likelihood of experiencing upper gastrointestinal bleeding (RR: 2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69–3.84; p<0.0001), ascites (RR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.05–3.45; p=0.0266), and encephalopathy (RR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.17–2.08; p=0.0122) compared to patients without sarcopenia. Additionally, an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (RR: 6.22; 95% CI: 3.26–12.67; p<0.0001), ascites (RR: 5.89; 95% CI: 1.93–21.3; p<0.0001), and encephalopathy (RR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.11–2.24; p=0.0207) was also found in malnourished patients compared to those without malnutrition. Regarding mortality risk, neither sarcopenia nor malnutrition was associated with mortality in liver cirrhosis patients. CONCLUSIONS Sarcopenia and malnutrition significantly increase the risk of complications in patients with liver cirrhosis.