Insurance Status But Not Race and Ethnicity Are Associated With Outcomes in a Large Hospitalized Cohort of Patients With Cirrhosis

Health disparities in cirrhosis care and liver transplantation

Morbidity and mortality from cirrhosis are substantial and increasing. Health disparities in cirrhosis and liver transplantation are reflective of inequities along the entire spectrum of chronic liver disease care, from screening and diagnosis to prevention and treatment of liver-related complications. The key populations experiencing disparities in health status and healthcare delivery include racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender minorities, people of lower socioeconomic status and underserved rural communities. These disparities lead to delayed diagnosis of chronic liver disease and complications of cirrhosis (for example, hepatocellular carcinoma), to differences in treatment of chronic liver disease and its complications, and ultimately to unequal access to transplantation for those with end-stage liver disease. Calling out these disparities is only the first step towards implementing solutions that can improve health equity and clinical outcomes for everyone. Multi-level interventions along the care continuum for chronic liver disease are needed to mitigate these disparities and provide equitable access to care.

Liver transplantation for alcohol-associated liver disease

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and a leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in many countries, including the United States. However, LT for ALD is a complex and evolving field with ethical, social, and medical challenges. Thus, it requires a multidisciplinary approach and individualized decision-making. Short-term and long-term patient and graft survival of patients undergoing LT for ALD are comparable to other indications, but there is a continued need to develop better tools to identify patients who may benefit from LT, improve the pretransplant and posttransplant management of ALD, and evaluate the impact of LT for ALD on the organ donation and transplantation systems. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on LT for ALD, from alcohol-associated hepatitis to decompensated alcohol-associated cirrhosis. We discuss the indications, criteria, outcomes, and controversies of LT for these conditions and highlight the knowledge gaps and research priorities in this field.

Neighborhood-level Social Determinants of Health and Waitlist Mortality for Liver Transplantation: The Liver Outcomes and Equity Index

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To examine neighborhood-level disparities in waitlist mortality for adult liver transplantation (LT), we developed novel area-based social determinants of health (SDOH) index using a national transplant database.

METHODS

ZIP Codes of individuals listed for or received LT in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database between June 18, 2013, and May 18, 2019, were linked to 36 American Community Survey (ACS) variables across 5 SDOH domains for index development. A step-wise principal component analysis was used to construct the Liver Outcomes and Equity (LOEq) index. We then examined the association between LOEq quintiles (Q1 = worst and Q5 = best neighborhood SDOH) and waitlist mortality with competing risk regression among listed adults in the study period and acuity circle (AC) era.

RESULTS

The final LOEq index consisted of 13 ACS variables. Of 59 298 adults waitlisted for LT, 30% resided in LOEq Q5 compared with only 14% in Q1. Q1 neighborhoods with worse SDOH were disproportionately concentrated in transplant regions with low median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease at transplant (MMAT) and shorter wait times. Five years cumulative incidence of waitlist mortality was 33% in Q1 in high MMAT regions versus 16% in Q5 in low MMAT regions. Despite this allocation advantage, LOEq Q1-Q4 were independently associated with elevated risk of waitlist mortality compared with Q5, with highest increased hazard of waitlist deaths of 19% (95% CI, 11%-26%) in Q1. This disparity persisted in the AC era, with 24% (95% CI, 10%-40%) increased hazard of waitlist deaths for Q1 versus Q5.

CONCLUSIONS

Neighborhood SDOH independently predicts waitlist mortality in adult LT.

The impact of insurance status on in-hospital mortality in patients with hyperglycaemic crisis: A propensity score matching analysis

AIM

This study was designed to determine the associations between insurance status and clinical outcomes among patients with hyperglycaemic crisis.

METHODS

Overall, 1668 patients with hyperglycaemic crisis were recruited from the Chongqing Medical University Medical Data Science Academy's big data platform. In-hospital mortality, length of stay and complications (i.e., hypoglycaemia, hypokalemia, pulmonary infection, multiple systemic organ failure, acute kidney injury and deep venous thrombosis) were assessed. Propensity score matching analysis was used to reduce the confounding bias, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to estimate the effect of insurance status on mortality in patients with hyperglycaemic crisis.

RESULTS

After matching one uninsured patient to two insured patients with a calliper of 0.02, the uninsured group suffered a higher burden of in-hospital mortality than the insured group (16.9% vs. 9.8%); the insured status (odds ratio = 0.216, 95% confidence interval = 0.079-0.587) was a potential protect factor for in-hospital mortality of patients with hyperglycaemic crisis in the multivariate logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Insurance status is associated with the outcomes of hospitalisation for hyperglycaemic crisis; uninsured patients with hyperglycaemic crisis face a higher risk of mortality in China.

Care for Vulnerable Populations with Chronic Liver Disease: A Safety-Net Perspective

Safety-net hospitals (SNHs) and facilities are the cornerstone of healthcare services for the medically underserved. The burden of chronic liver disease-including end-stage manifestations of cirrhosis and liver cancer-is high and rising among populations living in poverty who primarily seek and receive care in safety-net settings. For many reasons related to social determinants of health, these individuals often present with delayed diagnoses and disease presentations, resulting in higher liver-related mortality. With recent state-based policy changes such as Medicaid expansion that impact access to insurance and critical health services, an overview of the body of literature on SNH care for chronic liver disease is timely and informative for the liver disease community. In this narrative review, we discuss controversies in the definition of a SNH and summarize the known disparities in the cascade of the care and management of common liver-related conditions: (1) steatotic liver disease, (2) liver cancer, (3) chronic viral hepatitis, and (4) cirrhosis and liver transplantation. In addition, we review the specific impact of Medicaid expansion on safety-net systems and liver disease outcomes and highlight effective provider- and system-level interventions. Lastly, we address remaining gaps and challenges to optimizing care for vulnerable populations with chronic liver disease in safety-net settings.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts 30-, 90-, and 180-day readmissions of patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Introduction

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a significant complication of cirrhosis, known to be associated with hospital readmission. However, few new serological indicators associated with readmission in HE patients have been identified and reported. The objective of our study was to identify simple and effective predictors reated to readmission in HE patients.

Materials and methods

We conducted a retrospective study at a single center on adult patients admitted with HE from January 2018 to December 2022. The primary endpoint was the first liver-related readmission within 30, 90, and 180 days, and we collected electronic medical records from our hospital for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospitalization characteristics. We utilized logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis to determine the predictors that were associated with the readmission rate and the length of the first hospitalization.

Results

A total of 424 patients were included in the study, among whom 24 (5.7%), 63 (14.8%), and 92 (21.7%) were readmitted within 30, 90, and 180 days, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that insurance status, alcoholic liver disease (ALD), ascites, the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were significantly associated with 30-, 90-, and 180-day readmissions. Age and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were predictors of 90- and 180-day readmissions. ALD was identified as a unique predictor of readmission in men, while hypertension was a predictor of 180-day readmission in women. Variceal bleeding, chronic kidney disease, and MELD score were associated with the length of the first hospitalization.

Conclusions

NLR at discharge was identified as a significant predictor of 30-, 90- and 180-day readmissions in patients with HE. Our findings suggest that incorporating NLR into routine clinical assessments could improve the evaluation of the prognosis of liver cirrhosis.

Racial and Health Disparities among Cirrhosis-related Hospitalizations in the USA

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause of advanced liver disease worldwide, including in the USA. Alcohol use and cirrhosis mortality is higher in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) compared to Whites. Data are scanty on ALD as a liver disease etiology in AI/AN compared to other races and ethnicities.

METHODS

The National Inpatient Sample on 199,748 cirrhosis-related hospitalizations, 14,241 (2,893 AI/AN, 2,893 Whites, 2,882 Blacks, 2,879 Hispanics, and 2,694 Asians or other races) matched 1:1 for race/ethnicity on demographics, insurance, and income quartile of the residence zip code analyzed.

RESULTS

After controlling for geographic location and hospital type, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for ALD as cirrhosis etiology was higher among admissions in AI/AN vs. Whites [1.55 (1.37-1.75)], vs. Blacks [1.87 (1.65-2.11)], vs. Hispanic [1.89 (1.68-2.13)] and Asians/other races [2.24 (1.98-2.53)]. OR was also higher for AI/AN vs. all other races for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) as one of the discharge diagnoses. The findings were similar in a subgroup of 4,649 admissions with decompensated cirrhosis and in a cohort of 350 admissions with acute-on-chronic liver failure as defined by EASL-CLIF criteria. Alcohol use disorder diagnosis was present in 38% of admissions in AI/AN vs. 24-30% in other races, p<0.001. A total of 838 (5.9%) admissions were associated with in-hospital mortality. OR (95% CI) for in-hospital mortality in AI/AN individuals was 34% reduced vs. Blacks [0.66 (0.51-0.84)], but no difference was observed on comparison with other races.

CONCLUSIONS

ALD, including AH, is the most common etiology among cirrhosis-related hospitalizations in the USA among AI/AN individuals. In-hospital mortality was observed in about 6% of admissions, which was higher for Blacks and similar in other races compared to admissions for AI/AN. Public health policies should be implemented to reduce the burden of advanced ALD among AI/AN individuals.

In-patient Expenditure Between 2012 and 2020 Concerning Patients With Liver Cirrhosis in Chongqing: A Hospital-Based Multicenter Retrospective Study

Background

Liver cirrhosis is a major global health and economic challenge, placing a heavy economic burden on patients, families, and society. This study aimed to investigate medical expenditure trends in patients with liver cirrhosis and assess the drivers for such medical expenditure among patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods

Medical expenditure data concerning patients with liver cirrhosis was collected in six tertiary hospitals in Chongqing, China, from 2012 to 2020. Trends in medical expenses over time and trends according to subgroups were described, and medical expenditure compositions were analyzed. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to evaluate the factors influencing medical expenditure. All expenditure data were reported in Chinese Yuan (CNY), based on the 2020 value, and adjusted using the year-specific health care consumer price index for Chongqing.

Results

Medical expenditure for 7,095 patients was assessed. The average medical expenditure per patient was 16,177 CNY. An upward trend in medical expenditure was observed in almost all patient subgroups. Drug expenses were the largest contributor to medical expenditure in 2020. A multiple linear regression model showed that insurance type, sex, age at diagnosis, marital status, length of stay, smoking status, drinking status, number of complications, autoimmune liver disease, and the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score were significantly related to medical expenditure.

Conclusion

Conservative estimates suggest that the medical expenditure of patients with liver cirrhosis increased significantly from 2012 to 2020. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate targeted measures to reduce the personal burden on patients with liver cirrhosis.

Trends in the Economic Burden of Chronic Liver Diseases and Cirrhosis in the United States: 1996-2016

INTRODUCTION

The management of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) and cirrhosis is associated with substantial healthcare costs. We aimed to estimate trends in national healthcare spending for patients with CLDs or cirrhosis between 1996 and 2016 in the United States.

METHODS

National-level healthcare expenditure data developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations for the Disease Expenditure Project and prevalence of CLDs and cirrhosis derived from the Global Burden of Diseases Study were used to estimate temporal trends in inflation-adjusted US healthcare spending, stratified by setting of care (ambulatory, inpatient, emergency department, and nursing care). Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate temporal trends, expressed as annual percent change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Drivers of change in spending for ambulatory and inpatient services were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Total expenditures in 2016 were $32.5 billion (95% CI, $27.0-$40.4 billion). Over 65% of spending was for inpatient or emergency department care. From 1996 to 2016, there was a 4.3%/year (95% CI, 2.8%-5.8%) increase in overall healthcare spending for patients with CLDs or cirrhosis, driven by a 17.8%/year (95% CI, 14.5%-21.6%) increase in price and intensity of hospital-based services. Total healthcare spending per patient with CLDs or cirrhosis began decreasing after 2008 (APC -1.7% [95% CI, -2.1% to -1.2%]), primarily because of reductions in ambulatory care spending (APC -9.1% [95% CI, -10.7% to -7.5%] after 2011).

DISCUSSION

Healthcare expenditures for CLDs or cirrhosis are substantial in the United States, driven disproportionately by acute care in-hospital spending.