Serum potassium levels and prognosis in HBV-associated decompensated cirrhosis

Background: Serum potassium disorders are commonly seen in patients with advanced cirrhosis and have a detrimental effect on clinical outcome, but its role in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis (DeCi) is remained to be illustrated. We aim to assess the effects of serum potassium on outcomes in HBV-DeCi patients.
Methods: Retrospective study included 155 subjects. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the independent prognostic factor. Predictive ability of mortality for variables was determined using the receiver operating characteristics curves.
Results: The 30-day in-hospital mortality was 12.9%. Serum potassium levels differed markedly between survivors and non-survivors. On multivariate analysis, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and serum potassium level were identified as independent predictors of outcomes in HBV-DeCi patients. The combination of serum potassium and MELD score could improve prognostic accuracy in these patients.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that serum potassium is an effective predictor for poor outcomes in HBV-DeCi patients.