ArticleThe American journal of medicine2012
Prevalence and morbidity associated with muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis.
Article in The American journal of medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized Placebo Controlled Study of Baclofen in the Treatment of Muscle Cramps in Patients With Cirrhosis
Effect of Branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAA) to Muscle Cramps in Patients With Cirrhosis
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- EASL position paper on palliative care in advanced chronic liver disease.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2026Guideline
- Non-drug therapies for the secondary prevention of lower limb muscle cramps.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Symptom prevalence and quality of life of patients with end-stage liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Palliative medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin for Muscle Cramps in Liver Cirrhosis: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of Korean medical science · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of 4-Week Oral Taurine Treatment for Muscle Cramps in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Single-Arm Pilot Study.Yonsei medical journal · 2021Trial
- Muscle Cramps Do Not Improve With Correction of Vitamin D Insufficiency.WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin · 2017Trial
- Update on the Complications and Management of Liver Cirrhosis.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System is a valid, reliable, and responsive tool to assess symptom burden in decompensated cirrhosis.Hepatology communications · 2024Article
- Muscle Cramps in Outpatients with Liver Diseases in Tokyo, Japan.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- AASLD Practice Guidance: Palliative care and symptom-based management in decompensated cirrhosis.Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) · 2022Article
- Neuropathy and Muscle Cramps in Autologous and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Survivors.Transplantation and cellular therapy · 2022Article
- Review article: current and emerging therapies for the management of cirrhosis and its complications.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2022Review
- Relationship Between Muscle Cramps and Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2022Article
- Hospice care for end stage liver disease in the United States.Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2021Review
- Relationship between symptoms and both stage of change in adopting a healthy life style and quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis: a cross-sectional study.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2021Article
- Evaluation of Muscle Cramp Associated with Liver Cirrhosis with a Focus on the Liver Function and Nutritional Status.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2021Article
- A scoping review to identify and map the multidimensional domains of pain in adults with advanced liver disease.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2020Article
- The effects of diuretic use and the presence of ascites on muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis: a nationwide study.Journal of gastroenterology · 2020Article
- Health-related quality of life and patient-reported outcome measures in NASH-related cirrhosis.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2020Article
- Outcomes of Palliative Care Consultations for Hospitalized Patients With Liver Disease.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2019Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposePatients with cirrhosis often experience muscle cramps with varying severity. We investigated the factors associated with the prevalence and morbidity associated with muscle cramps.
methodsA total of 150 adult patients with cirrhosis were enrolled consecutively. Cramp questionnaire with visual analogue scale for pain, Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ), and blood for measurement of 25-(OH) vitamin D levels were obtained after informed consent.
resultsA total of 101 patients (67%) reported muscle cramps in the preceding 3 months. Patients with cramps had significantly lower serum albumin (3.1±0.6 g/dL vs 3.3±0.7 g/dL, P=.04) and CLDQ scores (107±37 vs 137±34, P<.0001) compared with those without cramps. The median composite symptom score, defined as product of frequency and severity of cramps, in the study cohort was 12 with a range of 0.3 to 200. There were no clinical or biochemical predictors for occurrence of any cramps or severe cramps (composite symptom score>12). Muscle cramps (P<.001) and hepatic encephalopathy (P=.009) were associated independently with decreased CLDQ scores. Vitamin D deficiency was seen in 66% of the study cohort, but the serum 25-(OH) vitamin D levels were not significantly different between patients with and without cramps (18.0±8.9 ng/mL vs 19.6±9.5 ng/mL, P=.49).
conclusionsMuscle cramps are associated with significantly diminished quality of life in patients with cirrhosis. More research is needed to better understand their mechanism to develop effective treatment.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.