Infectious Complications in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Introduction: Liver cirrhosis (LC) represents a major public health problem, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Materials and methods: We conducted an observational, descriptive, retrospective study in which we included 198 patients with LC hospitalized in the Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest over a period of 2 years. They were divided into two primary groups: group A (83 patients with CH who had an infectious complication) and group B (115 patients with LC who did not have an infectious complication). Results: The predominant etiology of LC was excessive alcohol consumption, followed by viral infections, specifically hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus. The primary factors that contributed to the development of infectious complications were the presence of ascitic fluid, hypoalbuminemia, and a personal medical history of chronic kidney disease. The main infectious complications identified were bronchopneumonia (39%), urinary tract infections (27%), bacteremia (24%), Clostridioides difficile colitis (7%), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (2%), and pleural empyema (1%). The average hospitalization duration and mortality rate were both twice as long for patients in group A as they were for patients in group B. Conclusions: In summary, infectious complications are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with LC and necessitate multidisciplinary management.