Outcomes and risk factors for mortality in clostridioides difficile infection in patients with NAFLD and NASH.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide and can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and, ultimately, cirrhosis. Clostridioides difficile is the most common nosocomial cause of diarrhea and is associated with worse clinical outcomes in other liver diseases, including cirrhosis, but has not been extensively evaluated in concomitant NAFLD/NASH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2015 to 2017. Patients with a diagnosis of CDI, NAFLD, and NASH were identified using International Classification of Diseases (Tenth Revision) codes. The outcomes of our study include length of stay, hospitalization cost, mortality, and predictors of mortality. RESULTS: The CDI and NASH cohort had a higher degree of comorbidity burden and prevalence of peptic ulcer disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, and cirrhosis. Patients with NASH and CDI had a significantly higher mortality rate compared to the CDI only cohort (mortality, 7.11 % vs. 6.36 %; P = 0.042). Patients with CDI and NASH were at increased risk for liver-related complications, acute kidney injury, and septic shock (P < 0.001) compared to patients with CDI only. Older age, intestinal complications, pneumonia, sepsis and septic shock, and liver failure conferred an increased risk of mortality among the CDI and NASH cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NASH had a higher rate of liver-related complications, progression to septic shock, and mortality rate following CDI infection compared to the CDI only cohort.

Demographics and Outcomes Related to Wilson's Disease Patients: A Nationwide Inpatient Cohort Study.

Background and objective Wilson's disease (WD) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, leading to impairment in copper excretion and subsequent accumulation primarily in the liver and brain. There is scarce data in the literature on the outcomes and cost burden of WD. In light of this, we aimed to assess outcomes, mortality rates, and costs associated with WD patients and their management in the United States (US). Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on data in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2007 to 2017. A total of 17,713 patients with a diagnosis of WD were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth or Tenth Revision (ICD-9/10) codes. Bivariate analyses were performed using t-tests for continuous variables and Pearson's chi-square tests for categorical variables, where two-sided p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The majority of the 17,713 identified patients were female. The mean age of the WD cohort was 49 years. WD patients had a higher prevalence of Kayser-Fleischer rings, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and liver-related complications including acute hepatitis, liver failure, portal hypertension, and cirrhosis. Peptic ulcer disease, connective tissue disease, and hemolytic anemia were significantly more common in the WD cohort. Compared to the non-WD cohort, the WD cohort had a significantly higher mortality rate, longer length of stay (LOS), and increased hospitalization costs (p<0.0001). A higher proportion of patients who had undergone orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) were in the 18-34 and 35-44-year-old subgroups. On the contrary, the highest proportion of patients with WD who had not undergone OLTx were in the 55-89-year-old subgroup. WD patients who had undergone OLTx had a lower degree of comorbidities, decreased mortality rate, and shorter LOS (all p<0.0001) compared to WD patients who had not undergone OLTx. Conclusion Based on our findings, patients with WD had a higher LOS, mean hospitalization costs, and mortality rate compared to the non-WD cohort. Mortality rate and LOS were significantly lower in WD patients who had undergone OLTx.

Reduction in Gastrointestinal Cancers in Cirrhotic Patients Receiving Rifaximin vs Lactulose Only Therapy for Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Background Rifaximin and/or lactulose therapy is widely used in cirrhotic patients for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers in these patients on lactulose, rifaximin, and/or combination therapy is unknown. We investigated the possible effect of lactulose and rifaximin on cancer risk in patients with cirrhosis using the MarketScan database. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims databases from 2007-2017. An index date was defined for each participant as the earliest date of cirrhosis diagnosis. A baseline period for each participant was defined as the 12 months prior to the first medication date while the study follow-up period represented the period from the initiation of the medication to its cessation. ANOVA was used to compare all continuous measures of age and duration of medication. Wald Chi-square tests were performed to test the associations between the study groups. Results A total of 12,409 patients were included in our study. The rifaximin only cohort had the greatest reduction in risk of developing colon cancer, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer compared to the other groups. Rifaximin reduced the risk of colon cancer and esophageal cancer by 59.42% and 70.37%, respectively, compared to patients taking lactulose only. Patients in the lactulose plus rifaximin cohort had the highest rate of development of pancreatic cancer (lactulose plus rifaximin vs rifaximin only vs lactulose only, 0.45% vs 0.24% vs 0.21%; P < 0.0001) and liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers (11.73% vs 5.84% vs 5.49%; P < 0.0001). Conclusion Colon, esophageal, and gastric cancers had a marked incidence reduction in the rifaximin only cohort compared to the other cohorts studied.