Characteristics and Related Factors of Bacterial Infection Among Patients With Cirrhosis.

Background: Infection causes cirrhosis to decompensate, affecting liver function and resulting in several complications, including esophageal variceal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatorenal syndrome. Objective: This study aimed to identify the prevalence, essential features, and related factors of bacterial infection among patients with cirrhosis in Vietnam. Methods: This retrospective study included 317 patients diagnosed with cirrhosis, who were divided into two groups: group 1 including 125 patients with bacterial infection and group 2 including 192 patients without bacterial infection. Infection was diagnosed on the basis of its localization. Results: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP; 31.2%) and pneumonia (28.8%) were the most common infections identified. The procalcitonin (PCT) level had a strong diagnostic value with an area under the curve value of 0.868. The most common type of gram-negative bacteria was Escherichia coli, while the gram-positive bacteria seen were Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus among the patients with infection. In the logistic regression analysis, Child-Pugh class B and C (p<0.001, OR=4.14, CI=1.90-9.03; OR=4.76, CI=2.03-11.16, respectively) and the presence of acute kidney injury (p=0.009, OR=2.57, CI=1.27-5.22) and gastrointestinal hemorrhage (p=0.035, OR=0.39, CI=0.16-0.94) significantly differed between the groups. Conclusion: The most prevalent type of bacterial infection in patients with cirrhosis is SBP, with gram-negative bacteria being the most common cause. The PCT level is useful in identifying infection in patients with cirrhosis. Decompensated cirrhosis is linked to a higher risk of infection.

Cutoff Values for Serum Ferritin in Predicting Cirrhosis Severity due to Cholestatic Jaundice in Vietnamese Children.

Background: High serum ferritin levels are associated with liver cirrhosis severity and worse outcomes for hepatopathies. This study determined the serum ferritin cutoff values for predicting cirrhosis severity in children with cholestatic jaundice. Methods: A retrospective study was performed, including all cases diagnosed with cirrhosis in children aged 1 month to 16 years at Children's Hospital 2-Vietnam between 2016 and 2021. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to estimate ferritin cutoff values for predicting disease severity. Results: The study included 95 patients with cirrhosis due to cholestatic jaundice. Decompensated cirrhosis accounted for the majority (74.7%) of cases. Increased serum ferritin concentrations predicted cirrhosis severity in children, and the optimal ferritin cutoff value for predicting decompensated cirrhosis was determined to be 195 µg/l, resulting in a sensitivity of 65.22%, a specificity of 95.83%, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) or 0.82. The Child-Pugh C group had higher ferritin levels than the Child-Pugh A and B group (p < 0.001), and the ferritin cutoff value for distinguishing between Child-Pugh classifications was 195 µg/l, resulting in a sensitivity of 71.2%, a specificity of 87.9%, and an AUC of 0.80. Conclusions: Serum ferritin levels are significantly associated with decompensated cirrhosis and disease severity (as assessed by Child-Pugh score). Routine serum ferritin testing may contribute to predicting cirrhosis severity in children.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Evaluation of Hepatic Fibrosis and Steatosis Using Fibroscan.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and might eventually progress to advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recommendations on whether to screen for NAFLD in diabetic patients remains conflicted between major guidelines. Transient elastography using FibroScan with CAP (controlled attenuation parameter) can assess both liver steatosis and fibrosis simultaneously. This paper took a new look at the prevalence of NAFLD and the severity of fibrosis among T2DM patients in Vietnam. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design in T2DM adults who attended Dai Phuoc Ho Chi Minh Polyclinic and Polyclinic of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine. Liver steatosis and fibrosis was assessed by FibroScan. NAFLD was diagnosed if CAP > 233 dB/m (steatosis > 5%). Data were analyzed using STATA 12 software program. We found that a total of 307 type 2 diabetic patients qualified for the study's criteria. The prevalence of NAFLD in T2DM patients based on FibroScan was 73.3%. Rates of mild, moderate and severe steatosis were 20.5%, 21.8% and 30.9%, respectively. The prevalence of significant fibrosis (≥ F2), advanced fibrosis (≥ F3) and cirrhosis (F4) was 13.0%, 5.9% and 3.6%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (OR: 1.067; 95% CI: 1.017-1.119; p = 0.008) and platelet levels (OR: 0.985; 95% CI: 0.972-0.999; p = 0.034) were independent of risk factors of advanced fibrosis. Thus, our study supports screening for NAFLD and for evaluating the severity of liver fibrosis in T2DM patients.