Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with worse intestinal complications in patients hospitalized for Clostridioides difficile infection

BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease with increasing prevalence worldwide.Clostridioides difficile infection(CDI)remains the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea in developed countries.AIM To assess the impact of NAFLD on the outcomes of hospitalized patients with CDI.METHODS This study was a retrospective cohort study.The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to identify a total of 7239 adults admitted as inpatients with a primary diagnosis of CDI and coexisting NAFLD diagnosis from 2010 to 2014 using ICD-9 codes.Patients with CDI and coexisting NAFLD were compared to those with CDI and coexisting alcoholic liver disease(ALD)and viral liver disease(VLD),individually.Primary outcomes included mortality,length of stay,and total hospitalization charges.Secondary outcomes were in-hospital complications.Multivariate regression was used for outcome analysis after adjusting for possible confounders.RESULTS CDI with NAFLD was independently associated with lower rates of acute respiratory failure(2.7%vs 4.2%,P<0.01;2.7%vs 4.2%,P<0.05),shorter length of stay(days)(5.75±0.16 vs 6.77±0.15,P<0.001;5.75±0.16 vs 6.84±0.23,P<0.001),and lower hospitalization charges(dollars)(38150.34±1757.01 vs 46326.72±1809.82,P<0.001;38150.34±1757.01 vs 44641.74±1660.66,P<0.001)when compared to CDI with VLD and CDI with ALD,respectively.CDI with NAFLD was associated with a lower rate of acute kidney injury(13.0%vs 17.2%,P<0.01),but a higher rate of intestinal perforation(P<0.01)when compared to VLD.A lower rate of mortality(0.8%vs 2.7%,P<0.05)but a higher rate of intestinal obstruction(4.6%vs 2.2%,P=0.001)was also observed when comparing CDI with NAFLD to ALD.CONCLUSION Hospitalized CDI patients with NAFLD had more intestinal complications compared to CDI patients with VLD and ALD.Gut microbiota dysbiosis may contribute to the pathogenesis of intestinal complications.

Epidemiology and natural history of hepatitis C virus infection

Hepatitis C virus(HCV)affects 130-210 million people worldwide and is one of the major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma.Globally,at least one third of hepatocellular carcinoma cases are attributed to HCV infection,and 350000 people died from HCV related diseases per year.There is a great geographical variation of HCV infection globally,with risk factors for the HCV infection differing in various countries.The progression of chronic hepatitis C to end-stage liver disease also varies in different study populations.A long-term follow-up cohort enrolling participants with asymptomatic HCV infection is essential for elucidating the natural history of HCV-caused hepatocellular carcinoma,and for exploring potential seromarkers that have high predictability for risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.However,prospective cohorts comprising individuals with HCV infection are still uncommon.The risk evaluation of viral load elevation and associated liver disease/cancer in HCV(REVEAL-HCV)study has followed a cohort of 1095 residents seropositive for antibodies against hepatitis C virus living in seven townships in Taiwan for more than fifteen years.Most of them have acquired HCV infection through iatrogenic transmission routes.As the participants in the REVEALHCV study rarely receive antiviral therapies,it provides a unique opportunity to study the natural history of chronic HCV infection.In this review,the prevalence,risk factors and natural history of HCV infection are comprehensively reviewed.The study cohort,data collection,and findings on liver disease progression of the REVEAL-HCV study are described.