title: The metabolic syndrome is not correlated with the short-term risk of decompensation in patients with cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity proved to favor clinical decompensation in patients with cirrhosis. Our aim was to investigate if metabolic syndrome (MS) in cirrhotic patients represents a risk factor for decompensation.
  
  
  METHODS
  704 cirrhotics, included in a MS prevalence study were considered for evaluation; 121 patients were excluded because they did not complete the follow-up and 303 because they were decompensated at the start of the study. The remaining 280 were followed-up for a median period of 28.1+/-18 months. Patients were censored at the end of follow-up or at occurrence of a liver related event (LRE). Liver related events were considered the following: decompensation (ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatorenal syndrome, jaundice, encephalopathy), hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis and infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All MS criteria except the abdominal circumference were significantly different between decompensated and compensated patients. HDL-cholesterol levels were lower in decompensated patients. Among the 280 patients who completed the follow-up, 85 (30%) presented LREs. Ascites was the most frequent event. In the univariate analysis of the MS criteria we found a trend to significance of an inverse correlation between MS and LREs. There was no significant difference between patients with or without MS regarding survival free of LREs, 76.7% and 66.5%, respectively. None of the MS criteria reached the level of significance in discriminating patients with and without LREs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In short term, presence of MS was not a risk factor for LREs. In short term, liver function and lower nutritional status influenced the prognosis. In decompensated patients, the MS defining criteria are not applicable.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Liver Unit, IDIBAPS, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain. bogdanprocopet@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Procopet
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Oana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Farcau
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balagel
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crisan
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Horia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stefanescu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Andreea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pop
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Habic
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Corina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tantau
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Gastroenterology Department, Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grigorescu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors