Renal Impairment as an Independent Predictor of Sepsis in Cirrhosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Sepsis is a life-threatening complication among patients with liver cirrhosis and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis is challenging due to immune dysfunction, chronic systemic inflammation, and overlap between clinical and laboratory findings during infection and hepatic decompensation. Therefore, there is a need to identify routinely available predictors that may enable the stratifying of patients at risk of developing sepsis in this population and facilitate intensive monitoring, antibiotic treatment, and potentially reduce mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between routine laboratory parameters and the development of sepsis among cirrhotic patients. A total of 171 cirrhotic patients met the inclusion criteria and were followed at a tertiary liver clinic between February 2015 and February 2022. Sepsis was defined according to Sepsis-3 criteria. Univariate analyses were performed to compare sepsis patients versus non-sepsis patients. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify independent predictors of sepsis. Among 171 patients, 41 (24%) developed sepsis and 130 (76%) did not. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups: patients with sepsis were slightly older (67.5 ± 10.9 vs. 64.5 ± 12.3 years,