Lactulose use among patients with alcohol-related liver cirrhosis as a surrogate marker of hepatic encephalopathy: prevalence and association with mortality - a Danish nationwide cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), one of the most serious prognostic factors for mortality in alcohol-related cirrhosis (ALD cirrhosis), is not recorded in Danish healthcare registries. However, treatment of HE with lactulose, the universal first-line treatment, can be identified through data on filled prescriptions. This study aimed to investigate if lactulose can be used as a surrogate marker of HE.

Methods

We used Danish healthcare registries to establish a cohort of patients with ALD cirrhosis diagnosed in 2000-2018. Lactulose users were identified using data on filled prescriptions. We computed the prevalence and cumulative incidence of lactulose use, and then matched lactulose users with cohort members who were not using lactulose. This matched dataset was

SUBMITTER: Herting EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11742859 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature