Liver cirrhosis and sarcopenia: a dreadful combination.

Abstract

Patients with liver cirrhosis, irrespective of etiology, have increased risk of liver-related and all-cause mortality (1). Also, the severity of cirrhosis determines health outcomes. For instance, patients with compensated cirrhosis have a nearly five-fold increased risk of death, while those with decompensated cirrhosis have approximately a 10-fold increased risk compared with the general population (1). Furthermore, the median survival time of patients with compensated cirrhosis is 12 years, while it is only 1.8 years in those with decompensated cirrhosis (2). Moreover, the presence of intercurrent conditions, such as sarcopenia (loss of skeletal muscle mass and function) may also compromise the prognosis of patients with cirrhosis (3).