Abstracts of the 2023 Annual Meeting of the ALEH
More infoFrailty is independently associated with a lower survival in cirrhotic patients. Liver Frailty Index (LFI) determine frailty in listed patients predicting survival. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a physical and nutritional therapy (intervention group) over LFI compared with a physical and nutritional counseling (control group).
Materials and MethodsPatients were recruited and randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Patients were followed for 12 weeks with evaluations every 4 weeks. We compared LFI and LFI at different time points between both groups during the follow-up.
Results46 patients were recruited, 27 of them in control group and 19 of them in the intervention group. 50% were women and the most common etiologies were metabolic associated fatty liver disease (37%) and alcoholic liver disease (19.6%), primary biliary cholangitis (6.52%), autoimmune hepatitis (6.52%) and hepatitis C virus (2.17%). The median (IQR) age was 60 years (53-63 years), MELD-Na 17 (15-21), creatinine 0.75 mg/dl (0.6-0.8) albumin 3.1 g/dl (2.9-3.1), INR 1.54 (1.4-1.75) and bilirubin 2.6 mg/dl (1.4-1.7). Child-Pugh scores were A/B/C 13%/58.7%/28.3% respectively. No differences in baseline characteristics were found between the groups. Notably, there was a significant improvement in LFI (median; IQR) in the intervention group (Figure 1) after 8 weeks LFI 3.74 (3.37-3.97) with LFI -0.86 vs. control group LFI 4.15 (3.94-4.23) with LFI -0.02, p=0.007) and after 12 weeks (intervention group 3.73 (3.31-4.11) with LFI -0.87 vs. control group LFI 4.14 (4.06-4.50) with LFI -0.03, p=0.023).
ConclusionsIn this interim analysis nutritional and physical therapy improves LFI. This is the first randomized controlled trial with positive results in listed patients with cirrhosis.
