title: The importance of abnormalities of liver function tests in predicting mortality in chronic heart failure.
abstract: A number of simple clinical and laboratory variables were analysed in a group of patients with chronic heart failure to evaluate their prognostic significance. Five hundred and fifty-two patients were followed for a maximum of 13 years with a total exposure time to death or censored survival of 1148 years. Of the clinical variables, diuretic dose and NYHA class were related to mortality (P < 0.01), and ischaemic heart disease was associated with a worse prognosis than other aetiologies (P < 0.05). Of the laboratory variables, abnormalities of liver function tests including bilirubin (P < 0.01), aspartate transaminase (P < 0.005), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (P < 0.005) and alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.01) were all related to mortality as was plasma urate (P < 0.01). Multivariate survival analysis of all variables showed aspartate transaminase (chi 2 17.36, P < 0.001) accounted for the greatest variance followed by serum bilirubin (chi 2 14.35, P < 0.005). Thus, abnormalities in liver function tests have prognostic importance in chronic heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital, Nottingham.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Batin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wickens
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McEntegart
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fullwood
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cowley
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis