Association of loss of muscle mass with mortality in liver cirrhosis without or before liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal
Medicine
Journal Volume
98
Journal Issue
9
Pages
e14373
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Liver cirrhosis is a risk factor for the loss of muscle mass, which is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to examine whether loss of muscle mass was a predictor of increased mortality in cirrhotic patients without or before liver transplantation. METHODS: Without language restriction, PubMed and Embase were searched for articles published from the earliest records to December 2018 investigating the influence of loss of muscle mass on survival of cirrhotic patients. Those who had undergone liver transplantation and had hepatocellular carcinoma were excluded. The main outcome was the hazard ratio (HR) for the association of mortality with loss of muscle mass, and the secondary outcome was the association of loss of muscle mass with Child-Pugh class and death caused by severe infection. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 16 observational studies, comprising 4070 participants. The pooled crude and adjusted HRs for the association of mortality with loss of muscle mass were 2.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51-2.78) and 2.36 (95% CI, 1.61-3.46). Using Child-Pugh Class A as reference, the odds ratios (ORs) for the association of loss of muscle mass with Child-Pugh Class B and Class C were 1.68 (95% CI, 0.96-2.92) and 1.94 (95% CI, 0.66-5.65). Patients with loss of muscle mass were likely to have infection-related mortality (OR?=?3.38, 95% CI, 0.61-18.88) but the association did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of muscle mass is associated with mortality in cirrhotic patients without or before liver transplantation. Future studies should be conducted to explore whether exercise and nutritional supplementation can reverse muscle mass loss and improve long-term survival.
Other Subjects
aged; complication; female; human; liver cirrhosis; liver transplantation; male; meta analysis; middle aged; mortality; muscle atrophy; observational study; odds ratio; preoperative period; proportional hazards model; risk factor; severity of illness index; Aged; Female; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver Transplantation; Male; Middle Aged; Muscular Atrophy; Observational Studies as Topic; Odds Ratio; Preoperative Period; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index
Publisher
NLM (Medline)
Type
journal article