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.