Risk factors for the development of cirrhosis within one-year in
non‐cirrhotic patients with HBV‐related acute‐on‐chronic liver failure
Abstract
Objective: Patients with chronic hepatitis B-related
acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) who do not have underlying
cirrhosis are at a high risk of progressing to cirrhosis within one year
during the recovery period. However, the specific risk factors
contributing to this progression remain poorly understood. This study
aims to identify the factors influencing cirrhosis development and to
establish a pathway for risk stratification. Methods: Clinical
data were collected from non-cirrhotic HBV-ACLF patients who survived
beyond one year and had comprehensive clinical records. Independent
factors associated with the progression to cirrhosis were identified,
enabling the development of a risk stratification pathway.
Results: A prospective one-year follow-up of 109 non-cirrhotic
patients with HBV-ACLF showed that 21.1% (n=23) developed cirrhosis. An
assessment of clinical features, laboratory metrics, and the fluctuating
patterns in liver function identified several independent factors for
the development of cirrhosis: unresolved total bilirubin (TB) levels
[5.64 (1.39-25.00)], failure to normalize the International
Normalized Ratio (INR) [6.34 (1.52-29.50)], and baseline platelet
(PLT) count [0.98 (0.97-0.99)]. Receiver operating characteristic
(ROC) analysis demonstrated that INR normalization (AUC=0.82), TB
resolution (AUC=0.78), and the baseline PLT count (AUC=0.75) had strong
predictive accuracy for cirrhosis. A risk stratification model
incorporating INR normalization and baseline PLT effectively classified
patients into low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups, with
incidence rates of cirrhosis at 5.4%, 29.4%, and 77.8%, respectively.
Conclusion: This study emphasized the crucial role of INR
normalization, TB resolution, and the baseline PLT count in predicting
the risk of cirrhosis development within one year in non-cirrhotic
HBV-ACLF patients. By integrating INR normalization with baseline PLT, a
risk stratification model for cirrhosis development was established,
which provides targeted intervention guidance for clinicians and serves
as a practical clinical tool for the development of personalized
treatment plans.