[Comparison of clinical features between patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure and decompensated liver cirrhosis combined with acute kidney injury].

Objective: To compare the clinical features between patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and decompensated liver cirrhosis (DC) combined with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: Demographic data, clinical examination results, diagnosis and treatment information of ACLF and DC patients were collected retrospectively. Clinical characteristics of ACLF combined with AKI and DC combined with AKI and their impact on the 90-day mortality risk were compared. Results: The clinical characteristics of patients with ACLF-AKI and DC-AKI were compared. The results showed that the leukocyte count, absolute neutrophil count, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil) of ACLF-AKI patients were higher than those of DC-AKI patients, while prothrombin activity (PTA), and albumin were lower than those of DC-AKI patients, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The co-infection rate in patients with ACLF-AKI was significantly higher than that of DC-AKI group (96.9% vs. 39.5%) (P < 0.05), and during the diagnosis of AKI, the median value of serum creatinine in ACLF patients was 147 μmol / L (IQR: 122-189), while that in DC group was 123.5 μmol / L (IQR: 103.8-155.5), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). According to the HRS-AKI diagnostic criteria for liver cirrhosis, 44 (68.8%) cases of ACLF-AKI met the diagnosis of HRS -AKI, which was significantly higher than the proportion of 18 (47.4%) cases of DC-AKI (P < 0.05). Four (10.5%) cases of DC-AKI had died or underwent liver transplantation within 30 days and eight (21.1%) cases had died or underwent liver transplantation within 90 days, while 22 (34.4%) cases of ACLF-AKI patients had died or underwent liver transplantation within 30 days and 35 (54.7%) cases had died or underwent liver transplantation within 90 days, and χ (2) values was 7.140 and 11.062, respectively (P < 0.05). The results of multivariate regression analysis suggested that the independent risk factors that affect the 90-days mortality rate of DC patients were hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, and TBil, while the independent risk factors affecting the 90-days death risk of ACLF patients included AKI, PTA and TBil. Conclusion: Compared with DC-AKI patients, ACLF-AKI patients have a higher proportion of infection rate, higher serum creatinine level when diagnosed AKI, and faster disease progression, leading to a greater risk of death.