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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Mar;98(9):e14373.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000014373.

Association of loss of muscle mass with mortality in liver cirrhosis without or before liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ke-Vin Chang  1   2   3 , Jin-De Chen  2   4 , Wei-Ting Wu  1 , Kuo-Chin Huang  2   5 , Der-Sheng Han  1   2   3   6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association of loss of muscle mass with mortality in liver cirrhosis without or before liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ke-Vin Chang et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a risk factor for the loss of muscle mass, which is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to examine whether loss of muscle mass was a predictor of increased mortality in cirrhotic patients without or before liver transplantation.

Methods: Without language restriction, PubMed and Embase were searched for articles published from the earliest records to December 2018 investigating the influence of loss of muscle mass on survival of cirrhotic patients. Those who had undergone liver transplantation and had hepatocellular carcinoma were excluded. The main outcome was the hazard ratio (HR) for the association of mortality with loss of muscle mass, and the secondary outcome was the association of loss of muscle mass with Child-Pugh class and death caused by severe infection.

Results: The meta-analysis included 16 observational studies, comprising 4070 participants. The pooled crude and adjusted HRs for the association of mortality with loss of muscle mass were 2.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51-2.78) and 2.36 (95% CI, 1.61-3.46). Using Child-Pugh Class A as reference, the odds ratios (ORs) for the association of loss of muscle mass with Child-Pugh Class B and Class C were 1.68 (95% CI, 0.96-2.92) and 1.94 (95% CI, 0.66-5.65). Patients with loss of muscle mass were likely to have infection-related mortality (OR = 3.38, 95% CI, 0.61-18.88) but the association did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: Loss of muscle mass is associated with mortality in cirrhotic patients without or before liver transplantation. Future studies should be conducted to explore whether exercise and nutritional supplementation can reverse muscle mass loss and improve long-term survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram for the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the crude (A) and adjusted (B) hazard ratios for the association between loss of muscle mass and all-cause mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot of the crude (A) and adjusted (B) hazard ratios for the association between loss of muscle mass and all-cause mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the association between loss of muscle mass and Child-Pugh Class in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of the association between loss of muscle mass and infection-associated mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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