Prevalence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Esophageal Candidiasis in Cirrhosis: An Observational Study With Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (CANDID-VIEW).

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal candidiasis is often neglected and potentially serious infection in cirrhosis patients. Therefore, we evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of esophageal candidiasis (EC) in cirrhotics and did a systematic review to summarize EC's available evidence in cirrhosis.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with cirrhosis posted for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) at a tertiary care institute were screened for EC (cases) between January 2019 and March 2020. EC was diagnosed on EGD findings and/or brush cytology. Controls (without EC) were recruited randomly, and EC's risk factors and outcomes were compared between cases and controls.Four electronic databases were searched for studies describing EC in cirrhosis. Prevalence estimates of EC were pooled on random-effects meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was assessed by I2. A checklist for prevalence studies was used to evaluate the risk of bias in studies.

RESULTS

EC was diagnosed in 100 of 2762 patients with cirrhosis (3.6%). Patients with EC had a higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) (12.4 vs. 11.2; P = 0.007), acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (26% vs. 10%; P = 0.003) and concomitant bacterial infections (24% vs. 7%; P = 0.001), as compared with controls. A multivariable model, including recent alcohol binge, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleed, ACLF, diabetes, and MELD, predicted EC's development in cirrhosis with excellent discrimination (C-index: 0.918). Six percent of cases developed the invasive disease and worsened with multiorgan failures, and four patients with EC died on follow-up.Of 236 articles identified, EC's pooled prevalence from 8 studies (all with low-risk of bias) was 2.1% (95% CI: 0.8-5.8). Risk factors and outcomes of EC in cirrhosis were not reported in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

EC is not a rare infection in cirrhosis patients, and it may predispose to invasive candidiasis and untimely deaths. Alcohol binge, HCC, UGI bleed, ACLF, diabetes, and higher MELD are the independent predictors of EC in cirrhosis. At-risk patients with cirrhosis or those with deglutition symptoms should be rapidly screened and treated for EC.