Predictive ability of Liver-Fatty Acid Binding Protein for all-cause mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy: A prospective observational study

Purpose: we investigated the ability of serum and urine liver-fatty acid binding protein levels to predict mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy and/or compensated cirrhosis. materials and methods: we enrolled 48 patients with cirrhosis (19 hepatic encephalopathy, 29 compensated cirrhosis) and 20 control individuals. serum and urine liver-fatty acid binding protein levels were determined. patients were prospectively followed for three months. results: cox regression analyses showed that urine liver- fatty acid binding protein levels, model for end-stage liver disease-sodium scores, and child-turcot-pugh scores were independent predictors of mortality. receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that serum levels of liver- fatty acid binding protein (>8057.5 ng/l), urine liver-fatty acid binding protein (>9892.5 ng/l), and ammonia (>65.5 μg/dl), as well as the model for end-stage liver disease-sodium (>21.5) and child-turcot-pugh (>10.5) scores, predict mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. similarly, the areas under the curve for serum liver-fatty acid binding protein (auc, 0.701), urine liver- fatty acid binding protein (0.692), and serum ammonia (0.898) levels, as well as model for end-stage liver disease-sodium (0.934) and child-turcot-pugh (0.966) scores predicted mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. conclusion: liver-fatty acid binding protein levels predict mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy.