Abstract :
[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Prognosis in decompensated cirrhosis is heterogeneous and may be influenced by cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction.
AIMS: To assess whether QuantiFERON-Monitor, a whole blood interferon-γ release assay, predicts short-term outcomes in patients with acute decompensated cirrhosis.
METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in two hospitals (March 2022-March 2023), enrolling 44 patients hospitalized for acute decompensated cirrhosis. QuantiFERON-Monitor testing measured interferon-γ release after immune stimulation during hospitalization. Patients were followed for 90 days for mortality, bacterial infection, and acute-on-chronic liver failure. Associations between interferon-gamma levels and outcomes were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models.
RESULTS: The median interferon-γ release was 56 IU/mL (1-366). Each 10 IU/mL increase was associated with a 12% relative reduction in 90-day risk of death or ACLF (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79-0.99; p=0.03). No deaths occurred in patients with Interferon-γ ≥ 100 IU/mL versus 39% mortality in those below (p=0.01). Interferon-γ levels were not significantly associated with infection or acute-on-chronic liver failure. Adding QuantiFERON-Monitor to the MELD-Na improved discrimination for early mortality or acute-on-chronic liver failure.
CONCLUSIONS: Baseline interferon-γ release measured by the QuantiFERON-Monitor is a prognostic marker of short-term poor outcome in acute decompensated cirrhosis, reflecting cellular immune dysfunction. This assay may complement existing prognostic tools. Further validation with a larger cohort is required.
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