Impact of C-Reactive Protein and Liver Frailty Index on Sarcopenia and Poor Outcome in Liver Transplant Patients.

Background: Sarcopenia is a complication that occurs after liver transplantation (LT), and it is a poor prognostic factor.

Methods: A total of 23 healthy controls and 131 LT patients (18 - 76 weeks of age) were enrolled in the study. Pa-tients were grouped according to the North American Working Group on Sarcopenia in Liver Transplantation by performing pre- and post-transplant CT scans of the third lumbar (L3). The serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was analyzed and the liver frailty index (LFI) was assessed. Their associations with postoperative sarcopenia, skeletal muscle index (SMI), and poor outcomes were examined.

Results: Before LT, the serum CRP was increased in patients with LT, compared with the healthy subjects, and had the highest levels in patients with sarcopenia. There were seventy-nine patients with sarcopenia after LT, including 48 who had been diagnosed with sarcopenia preoperatively and 31 who had a new onset of sarcopenia after LT. There was a moderate-strength negative correlation between the preoperative and postoperative rates of change in CRP and L3 SMI. Patients assessed as frail preoperatively (LFI ≥ 4.5) were associated with postoperative sarcopenia, and 19 of the new postoperative sarcopenia cases occurred in patients assessed as frail preoperatively. The serum CRP levels and LFI were significantly higher in patients who experienced a prolonged hospitalization and early infections postoperatively than in patients without significant adverse events. CRP (post-LT) > 2.575 pg/mL (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06 - 2.39, p = 0.026) as well as frailty (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.20 - 2.60, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of sarcopenia after LT in patients.

Conclusions: Serum CRP levels and LFI may be effective for an early detection of sarcopenia in patients with LT.