title: Survival and risk factors related to death in outpatients with cirrhosis treated in a clinic in Southern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cirrhosis represents a public health issue that generally evolves and presents serious complications.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the outcomes of outpatients with cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a retrospective outpatient-based cohort, assessing 527 patients with cirrhosis. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were analyzed, as well as the risk factors related to death, using the Cox proportional-hazard regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze survival rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients had a mean age of 52.9±9.7 years and were more frequently men (59%), presenting Child-Turcotte-Pugh B or C in 43% of the cases in addition to a mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 12.0±4.1. The predominant etiology of liver disease was the hepatitis C virus. The most frequent complications during follow-up were ascites (34%), hepatic encephalopathy (17%), and hepatocellular carcinoma (17%). The survival rate at years 5 and 10 was 73 and 57%, respectively. The main risk factors that were related to death were, in a multivariate analysis, hepatitis C virus etiology, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and serum levels of albumin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with cirrhosis monitored on an outpatient basis, despite showing a reasonable survival rate, have a worse prognosis when the etiology of liver disease is related to hepatitis C virus and when they have hepatocellular carcinoma or hypoalbuminemia.
authors.affiliation: Departament of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Porto Alegre University Federal of Health Sciences (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Angelo Alves
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de Mattos
authors.forename: Suelen Aparecida
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: da Silva Miozzo
authors.forename: Pedro Henrique
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Comerlato
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Contiero
authors.forename: Renata Rodrigues
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors