Serum cystatin C predicts mortality with cirrhotic ascites

(HealthDay)—Serum cystatin C level is an excellent predictor of mortality in patients with cirrhotic ascites, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Yeon Seok Seo, M.D., Ph.D., from the Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues prospectively enrolled 350 patients with cirrhotic ascites (mean age, 55.4 years; 76.3 percent male) from 15 hospitals (September 2009 through March 2013). The authors sought to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of serum cystatin C level in patients with cirrhotic ascites.

The researchers found that serum creatinine and cystatin C levels were 0.9 and 1.1 mg/L, respectively. International normalized ratio (INR) and serum bilirubin, sodium, and cystatin C levels were independent predictors of mortality, in multivariate analyses, while INR and serum sodium and cystatin C levels were independent predictors of the development of type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS-1). There was not a significant association noted between serum creatinine level and mortality or development of HRS-1.

"Predictive models based on serum cystatin C level instead of serum creatinine level would be more helpful in the assessment of the condition and prognosis of patients with cirrhotic ascites," the authors write.