title: Acute-on-chronic and Decompensated Chronic Liver Failure: Definitions, Epidemiology, and Prognostication.
abstract: Chronic liver disease is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide and represents a major burden for the health care community. Cirrhosis is a progressive disease resulting in end-stage liver failure, which in the absence of liver transplantation is fatal. Acute-on-chronic liver failure carries high short-term mortality but is potentially reversible. Viral hepatitis, alcohol, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease remain the principal causes of liver disease. Though treatments exist for hepatitis B and C, they remain unavailable to many with these diseases. This article reviews the epidemiology of advanced liver disease and the concept of acute-on-chronic liver failure.
authors.affiliation: Hepatology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 1023, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address: jolson2@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Jody C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D065290:Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D009626:Terminology as Topic
keywords: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF); Advanced liver disease; Cirrhosis; Transplantation