Liver cirrhosis patients are highly susceptible to infections, affecting survival, but current parameters for detecting infection are not reliable enough in this population. We investigated the ability of white blood cell (WBC), ∆WBC, neutrophil and ∆neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and ∆NLR ratios and C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels to identify infection and predict short-term mortality in liver cirrhosis patients. We recruited 233 patients with liver cirrhosis hospitalized with acute decompensation (AD) who had an outpatient visit within 1 month (baseline laboratory data) and followed them for 90 days. Difference between laboratory values at baseline and the AD episode was defined as delta (∆) values of the parameters. Delta values did not increase the diagnostic and predictive ability of investigated parameters. The CRP level was found to be the best diagnostic marker for infection in patients with cirrhosis. However, NLR seems to be superior for short-term mortality prediction, better than the WBC count. Distinguishing inflammations of different origin is a remaining clinical challenge in acutely decompensated cirrhosis. Based on our results, NLR might be more suitable for predicting short-term mortality in patients with AD than the WBC count currently included in the CLIF-C AD score.

Although excessive alcohol consumption is by far the most frequent cause of recurrent acute pancreatitis (AP) cases, specific therapy is still not well established to prevent recurrence. Generally, psychological therapy (e.g., brief intervention (BI)) is the cornerstone of cessation programs; however, it is not yet widely used in everyday practice. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of a prospectively collected database. Patients suffering from alcohol-induced AP between 2016 and 2021 received 30 min BI by a physician. Patient-reported alcohol consumption, serum gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) level, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of red blood cells were collected on admission and at the 1-month follow-up visit to monitor patients’ drinking habits. Ninety-nine patients with alcohol-induced AP were enrolled in the study (mean age: 50 ± 11, 89% male). A significant decrease was detected both in mean GGT value (294 ± 251 U/L vs. 103 ± 113 U/L, p < 0.001) and in MCV level (93.7 ± 5.3 U/L vs. 92.1 ± 5.1 U/L, p < 0.001) in patients with elevated on-admission GGT levels. Notably, 79% of the patients (78/99) reported alcohol abstinence at the 1-month control visit. Brief intervention is an effective tool to reduce alcohol consumption and to prevent recurrent AP. Longitudinal randomized clinical studies are needed to identify the adequate structure and frequency of BIs in alcohol-induced AP.

Background/Objectives: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease with limited epidemiological data from Central–Eastern Europe. This study characterized a Hungarian PSC cohort, comparing patients with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and longitudinally evaluated the predictive efficacy of established prognostic scores (Mayo Risk Score, Amsterdam-Oxford Model [AOM], UK-PSC short/long). Methods: Data from 135 PSC patients (median diagnosis age 31 years, 57.7% male) were collected yearly at two Hungarian centers, with a median follow-up of 8.8 years. Outcomes included liver transplantation (LT) and liver-related death. Prognostic value of baseline clinical scores was assessed for 2-, 5-, 8-, and 10-year composite outcome. Results: PSC-IBD patients (54.1%) were younger with higher baseline Mayo and AOM scores, and had increased rates of colorectal carcinoma (8.22% vs. 0.00%) and liver transplantation (26.03% vs. 9.68%) within 10 years than PSC-only patients. There were no differences in liver-related mortality or composite outcomes between the groups. All prognostic scores showed good short-term predictive ability for poor outcomes (AUROC at 2 years: 0.858–0.958), which diminished over time (AUROC at 10 years: 0.708–0.756). The AOM demonstrated the most consistent performance. Persistent alkaline phosphatase (ALP) elevation (≥2.2×ULN) 2 years post-diagnosis, despite ursodeoxycholic acid therapy, strongly predicted 10-year adverse outcomes (HR: 3.927, p < 0.001), outperforming formal scoring systems (HR: 2.688–1.522). Conclusions: While PSC-IBD patients had more CRC and liver transplantation, overall transplantation-free survival was similar to PSC-only patients. Prognostic utility of current scores declines with longer follow-up; AOM was most stable. Sustained ALP elevation is a robust long-term prognostic indicator.

Introduction: The increasing incidence and poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma places huge burden on healthcare. Aim: After reviewing literature on epidemiological trends, risk factors, diagnosis and management options for hepatocellular carcinoma, the authors investigated results of treatment and survival data of patients in Northeastern Hungary. Method: In a retrospective study, the authors analyzed medical records of 187 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (etiology, presence of cirrhosis, stage of the tumor, treatment and disease outcome). Results: Seventy-one patients (38%) had known cirrhosis at the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, while in 52 patients (28%) the presence of cirrhosis was established at the time of the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Fifteen patients (8%) had no cirrhosis and in 49 patients (26%) no data were available regarding cirrhosis. Etiological factors were alcohol consumption (52%), viral hepatitis (41%) and metabolic syndrome (44%). In cases of metabolic syndrome, hepatocellular carcinoma frequently occurred without cirrhosis. In 83% of the cases, the tumor was discovered in an advanced stage. Median survival time was significantly associated with tumor stage (Barcelona A stage vs. B/C vs. D: 829 vs. 387 vs. 137 days, respectively p

Background and aims: Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis is a critical clinical event with heterogeneous outcomes, ranging from stable decompensated (SD) cirrhosis to acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Disturbances in the primary and secondary hemostasis have been implicated in the progression of cirrhosis. This study aimed to evaluate changes in primary hemostasis, i.e., VWF parameters, multimer distribution and ADAMTS13 activity in patients who could clinically improve after AD. Methods: Thirty-five cirrhotic patients hospitalized with AD were prospectively assessed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up when they reached an SD state. Clinical and laboratory characteristics, including the MELD score, were evaluated at both time points. VWF level and its different activities were measured using automated immunoassays, ADAMTS13 activity by chemiluminescent assay, and VWF multimer distribution using electrophoresis and densitometry. Results: At AD, at least one organ failure occurred in 13 patients, with 4 patients identified as ACLF grade 1. The MELD score was 22 (IQR 18–25) at AD, while at 3 months (SD) it was 17 (12–20) (p < 0.001). VWF parameters similarly decreased [VWF antigen 530% vs. 409% (p = 0.009), VWF activity 332% vs. 301% (p = 0.038), VWF collagen-binding 399% vs. 308% (p = 0.017)], while ADAMTS13 activity increased from 55% to 84% (p < 0.001). Ultra-large VWF multimers (ULMWM) were detected in six patients during AD but were absent in all SD samples, while ADAMTS13 activity normalized. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the VWF–ADAMTS13 axis in cirrhosis is a dynamically changing marker, and the temporary appearance of ULMWM during AD exposes thrombogenic potential in cirrhosis.