Treatment and outcome of hepatorenal syndrome in Japan: a retrospective cohort study using a national inpatient database

Link to article at PubMed

BMC Gastroenterol. 2023 Jun 23;23(1):218. doi: 10.1186/s12876-023-02858-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a life-threatening complication of end-stage liver disease. This study aimed to clarify the status of HRS in Japan by analyzing the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database.

METHODS: Patients hospitalized for cirrhosis and HRS from July 2010 to March 2019 were sampled. They were divided into two groups according to their prognosis upon discharge: the transplant-free survival group and the death or liver transplantation group. The two groups' baseline patient characteristics and treatments were compared.

RESULTS: The mean age of the 1,412 participants was 67.3 years (standard deviation: 12.3 years), and 65.4% were male. The Child-Pugh grades was B and C in 18.8% and 81.2%, respectively. Hepatocellular carcinoma was present in 27.1% of the patients, and the proportion of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was 2.3%. Albumin, noradrenaline, and dopamine were administered to 57.9%, 8.0%, and 14.9% of the patients, respectively; 7.0% of the patients underwent renal replacement therapy; and 5.0% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Intravenous antibiotics were administered to 30.8% of the patients. A total of 925 patients (65.5%) died or underwent liver transplantation. In addition to a higher proportion of patients with poor baseline liver function, the death or liver transplantation group included more males, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and those with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

CONCLUSIONS: HRS in Japan has a high mortality rate. Albumin was administered to over 50% of participants. Although noradrenaline is recommended in Japanese clinical guidelines, dopamine was more frequently used as a vasoconstrictor in clinical practice.

PMID:37353737 | DOI:10.1186/s12876-023-02858-5

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