Severe Muscle Wasting Increases Mortality Risk in Patients with Cirrhosis

Multiple factors are associated with increased risk for mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Now, investigators evaluate whether severe muscle wasting, commonly seen in these patients, is one of them.

In a prospective cohort study, 112 patients with cirrhosis (70% men, mean age, 54) were evaluated for liver transplant. The mean score of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) was 13, and 89% of patients were categorized as Child-Pugh Class B or C. Etiology of liver disease included hepatitis C virus infection (29%), alcohol (22%), and autoimmune disease (19%). Researchers used computed tomography (CT) scan images at the level of the third lumbar (L3) vertebrae, taken as part of the transplant work-up, to determine the L3 skeletal muscl…