Serum osteopontin is a predictor of prognosis for HBV‑associated acute‑on‑chronic liver failure

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome with a high rate of short-term mortality, and clinically it is important to identify patients at high risk of mortality. The present study evaluated the value of osteopontin (OPN) in the prediction of 90-day mortality in patients with ACLF. A total of 54 patients with HBV-associated ACLF were enrolled, and serum OPN levels were determined in a prospective, observational study design. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze independent risk factors of mortality. Serum OPN was significantly higher in HBV-ACLF patients compared with patients with chronic hepatitis B and healthy controls (both P 9,043 ng/ml), for which the 90-day mortality rates were 27.78 (5/18), 52.94 (9/17) and 73.68% (14/19), respectively, and those in the high risk had a poorer prognosis compared with the low risk group (P=0.009). In conclusion, serum OPN may be an independent risk factor associated with HBV-ACLF prognosis.