Copeptin in acute decompensation of liver cirrhosis: relationship with acute-on-chronic liver failure and short-term survival

BACKGROUND: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is characterized by the presence of acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis, organ failure, and high short-term mortality rates. Hemodynamic dysfunction and activation of endogenous vasoconstrictor systems are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of ACLF. We explored whether copeptin, a surrogate marker of arginine vasopressin, is a potential marker of outcome in patients admitted for AD or ACLF and whether it might be of additional value to conventional prognostic scoring systems in these patients. METHODS: All 779 patients hospitalized for AD of cirrhosis from the CANONIC database with at least one serum sample available for copeptin measurement were included. Presence of ACLF was defined according to the CLIF-consortium organ failure (CLIF-C OF) score. Serum copeptin was measured in samples collected at days 0–2, 3–7, 8–14, 15–21, and 22–28 when available. Competing-risk regression analysis was applied to evaluate the impact of serum copeptin and laboratory and clinical data on short-term survival. RESULTS: Serum copeptin concentration was found to be significantly higher in patients with ACLF compared with those without ACLF at days 0–2 (33 (14–64) vs. 11 (4–26) pmol/L; p < 0.001). Serum copeptin at admission was shown to be a predictor of mortality independently of MELD and CLIF-C OF scores. Moreover, baseline serum copeptin was found to be predictive of ACLF development within 28 days of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: ACLF is associated with significantly higher serum copeptin concentrations at hospital admission compared with those with traditional AD. Copeptin is independently associated with short-term survival and ACLF development in patients admitted for AD or ACLF. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-017-1894-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.