title: Frailty is independently associated with increased hospitalisation days in patients on the liver transplant waitlist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of physical frailty on risk of hospitalisation in cirrhotic patients on the liver transplant waitlist.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cirrhotics listed for liver transplantation at a single centre underwent frailty assessments using the Fried Frailty Index, consisting of grip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, weight loss, and physical activity. Clinical and biochemical data including MELD score as collected at the time of assessment. The primary outcome was number of hospitalised days per year; secondary outcomes included incidence of infection. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed using negative binomial regression to associate baseline parameters including frailty with clinical outcomes and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 587 cirrhotics, 64% were male, median age (interquartile range) was 60 (53-64) years and MELD score was 15 (12-18). Median Fried Frailty Index was 2 (1-3); 31.6% were classified as frail (fried frailty ≥ 3). During 12 mo of follow-up, 43% required at least 1 hospitalisation; 38% of which involved major infection. 107/184 (58%) frail and 142/399 (36%) non-frail patients were hospitalised at least once (P< 0.001). In univariable analysis, Fried Frailty Index was associated with total hospitalisation days per year (IRR = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.28-1.77;P≤ 0.001), which remained significant on multivariable analysis after adjustment for MELD, albumin, and gender (IRR for frailty of 1.21, 95%CI: 1.02-1.44;P= 0.03). Incidence of infection was not influenced by frailty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In cirrhotics on the liver transplant waitlist, physical frailty is a significant predictor of hospitalisation and total hospitalised days per year, independent of liver disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Marie Sinclair, Eduard Poltavskiy, Jennifer L Dodge, Jennifer C Lai, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.affiliation: Marie Sinclair, Eduard Poltavskiy, Jennifer L Dodge, Jennifer C Lai, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poltavskiy
authors.affiliation: Marie Sinclair, Eduard Poltavskiy, Jennifer L Dodge, Jennifer C Lai, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.affiliation: Marie Sinclair, Eduard Poltavskiy, Jennifer L Dodge, Jennifer C Lai, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014850:Waiting Lists
keywords: Cirrhosis; Frailty; Hospitalisation; Infection; Transplantation