Survival in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Prospective Study.

Introduction

The differences in the survival time of cirrhotic patients reported by different studies are probably caused by the influence of many contributing factors. The aim of the study was to evaluate the survival over a one-year period, to register the occurrence of acute decompensation (AD) and to determine the most frequent causes of death. Material and methods: Out of 71 patients enrolled in the study, 63 completed the prospective one-year follow-up. During the follow-up, we evaluated the occurrence of AD, the causes of death, and we registered three-month, six-month and one-year survival regarding the AD status at presentation.

Results

Of the 63 patients, 24 (38.09%) died before the end of the study (14 patients before the end of three months, 6 before the end of six months and 4 patients before the end of one year). The overall survival was 38.09% and the mean survival time was 108 ± 98.53 days. The most prevalent cause of death was bleeding from esophageal varices (5 patients, 20.83%). AD patients had a significantly shorter survival than patients without AD (97±90.54 vs. 229±138.59) and 78.57% of them died during the follow-up. The estimated six-month and one-year median survival time were 272.8 [95% CI (238.4-307.2)] and 267.1 [95% CI (232.9-301.2)] days, respectively. The six-month and one-year survival were significantly shorter in AD patients (p<0.0001).

Conclusion

The etiology, stage of liver disease and the presence of AD are important factors that influence on the survival in cirrhotic patients.