Correlation of Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD), MELD-Sodium (MELD-Na), and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) Score With Frailty in Patients With Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Related Cirrhosis

Introduction: The model for end stage liver disease (MELD), model for end stage liver disease-sodium (MELD Na), and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score are independent predictors of mortality in cirrhotic patients. Approximately 43% of cirrhotic patients with advanced disease are frail and can have detrimental effects on the disease prognosis and survival including delisting from the transplant list and increased risk of post-transplant complications. Therefore, our aim was to determine the correlation of MELD, MELD-Na, and CTP score with frailty in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) related cirrhosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Hepato-gastroenterology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation from 1(st) January 2022 to 30(th) June 2022. All the patients of either gender aged between 18 and 70 years with serological evidence of HCV and features of cirrhosis on ultrasound abdomen were included in the study. Patients with conditions over estimating frailty were excluded from the study. Liver Frailty Index (LFI) was calculated using grip strength measured in kilograms, timed chair stands, and balance testing. CTP and MELD-Na scores for each patient were also recorded. All the data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). The correlation of MELD, MELD-Na, and CTP with LFI was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 274 patients were included in the study. Out of them, 185 (67.5%) were males. The mean CTP score was 8.1 + 2.1, MELD score of 13.6 + 7.1, MELD-Na score of 15 + 6.6, and LFI of 4.1 + 0.83. LFI was found to be weakly correlated with MELD (r = 0.278) (p < 0.001), MELD-Na score (r = 0.41) (p < 0.001), and CTP score (r = 0.325) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Weak correlation was noted between LFI, CTP, MELD, and MELD-Na scores in HCV-associated chronic liver disease. Therefore, frailty along with MELD, MELD-Na, and CTP must be assessed before considering the patients for liver transplantation.