Acute kidney injury in hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure without preexisting liver cirrhosis

Acute kidney injury is associated with liver-related outcomes in patients with hepatitis B virus infection: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The effects of acute kidney injury (AKI) on liver-related outcomes in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remain unclear. The study aimed to evaluate the association between AKI with liver-related mortality and complications in patients with HBV infection.

METHODS

The multicenter, retrospective cohort study included Chinese adults with HBV infection from 24 regional central hospitals between January 2000 and December 2022. AKI was defined as a ≥ 26.5 μmol/l increase in serum creatinine concentration within 48 h, or a ≥ 50% increase over the baseline within 7 days. The primary outcome was post-discharge liver-related mortality, while the secondary outcome was a composite of new-onset liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Cox proportional hazard model was employed for analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 86,204 inpatients with HBV infection and without liver cancer or cirrhosis at baseline, 4407(5.1%) patients experienced AKI. During a mean follow-up of 4.6 ± 2.4 years, 334 (0.4%) patients died of liver-related events. After adjustment, AKI during hospitalization was significantly associated with a higher risk of liver-related mortality after discharge (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 1.78; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.26-2.51, P = 0.001), especially in those with severe AKI. Similarly, AKI was associated with a higher risk of cirrhosis or new-onset hepatocellular carcinoma (adjusted HR, 1.33; 95%CI, 1.10-1.60, P = 0.004). The association between AKI and liver-related outcomes remained consistent across different subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

AKI during hospitalization was associated with substantial increased risk of liver-related mortality and incident liver-related complication. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring AKI in patients with HBV infection for tailoring personalized treatments.

Hepatorenal syndrome in acute-on-chronic liver failure with acute kidney injury: more questions requiring discussion

In cirrhosis with ascites, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a specific prerenal dysfunction unresponsive to fluid volume expansion. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) comprises a group of clinical syndromes with multiple organ failure and early high mortality. There are differences in the characterization of ACLF between the Eastern and Western medical communities. Patients with ACLF and acute kidney injury (AKI) have more structural injuries, contributing to confusion in diagnosing HRS-AKI. In this review, we discuss progress in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of HRS-AKI, especially in patients with ACLF. Controversy regarding HRS-AKI in ACLF and acute liver failure, hepatic carcinoma, shock, sepsis, and chronic kidney disease is also discussed. Research on the treatment of HRS-AKI with ACLF needs to be more actively pursued to improve disease prognosis.

Prevalence and short-term outcome of acute kidney injury in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure: A meta-analysis

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a distinct syndrome to that in patients with cirrhosis, yet is less characterized. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the impact of AKI on outcome of ACLF. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library for original articles that evaluated the impact of AKI on outcome of ACLF from 2011 to 2019. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for 1-month and 3-month mortality was calculated. The response rate of vasoconstrictor for hepatorenal syndrome (HRS)-AKI was assessed. Eight relevant articles with 3610 patients were included. The prevalence of AKI in ACLF patients was 41% (95% CI 32%-50%). The presence of AKI was significantly associated with 1-month mortality of ACLF (OR 3.98, 95% CI 3.09-5.12; P < .001) and 3-month mortality (OR 4.98, 95% CI 3.59-6.92; P < .001). Additionally, patients with AKI stage ≥2 showed a higher 3-month mortality than stage 1 (OR 3.89, 95% CI 2.60-5.82; P < .001), and those of stage 3 had a higher mortality than stage ≤2 (OR 3.77, 95% CI 2.10-6.77; P < .001). The pooled response rate of vasoconstrictors was 32% (95% CI 26%-37%). This meta-analysis indicated that about 40% of ACLF patients complicated with AKI and the presence of AKI substantially increased the short-term mortality, together with a poor response rate of vasoconstrictors for HRS-AKI.

Clinical characteristics and long-term outcome of acute kidney injury in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and is also an important cause for poor outcome. This study aimed at investigating the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of AKI in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). A total of 1167 patients with HBV-related ACLF from January 2010 to January 2015 were enrolled and divided into two groups, AKI group (n=308) and non-AKI group (n=859). All patients were followed up to investigate clinical characteristics, long-term overall survival (OS) and risk factors. AKI occurrence was found to be 26.4% in patients with HBV-related ACLF. The patients in the AKI group and the non-AKI group had a 30-day OS of 44.8% and 70.3%, 90-day OS of 17.9% and 55.4%, and 1-year OS of 15.6% and 51.2%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the 30-day, 90-day and 1-year OS among subgroups with different AKI stages. It was found that high WBC, neutrophil, ALT and MELD score were risk factors for 30-day mortality, whereas hepatic encephalopathy, high MELD score, mean arterial pressure and PLT were risk factors for 90-day mortality. Two criteria, the KDIGO and AKIN, showed parallel results in staging AKI in patients with HBV-related ACLF (κ=0.807, P<.001). AKI is closely associated with increased short-term mortality in Chinese HBV-related ACLF patients, particularly in those with infection and high MELD score. Both KDIGO and AKIN criteria can be used for staging AKI in patients with HBV-related ACLF.