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Increased liver stiffness values in patients with heart failure

F Alegre1, J I Herrero, M Iñarrairaegui

  • 1Unidad de Hepatología. Departamento de Medicina Interna. Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain. falegre@unav.es

Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica
|August 1, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Patients with heart failure exhibit increased liver stiffness, directly correlating with heart failure severity. This liver stiffness measure improves with treatment, indicating its value in assessing heart failure progression.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hepatology
  • Medical Diagnostics

Background:

  • Liver stiffness is reportedly elevated in heart failure patients.
  • The relationship between liver stiffness and heart failure severity requires clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the increase in liver stiffness in heart failure.
  • To determine if liver stiffness correlates with heart failure severity.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 26 patients, divided into compensated chronic heart failure (CHF) and acute decompensated heart failure (AHF) groups.
  • Utilized transient elastography, pro-BNP levels, echocardiography, and blood chemistries.
  • Repeated measurements in AHF patients upon discharge after clinical compensation.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was found between liver stiffness and pro-BNP levels (Rho = 0.747, p = 0.001).
  • AHF patients presented higher liver stiffness (14.4 kPa vs 6.5 kPa) and pro-BNP (3535 pg/ml vs 1511 pg/ml) than CHF patients.
  • Liver stiffness decreased significantly in AHF patients after treatment (14.4 kPa admission vs 8.2 kPa discharge, p = 0.008).

Conclusions:

  • Heart failure is associated with increased liver stiffness.
  • Elevated liver stiffness in heart failure appears linked to disease severity.
  • Liver stiffness reduction post-treatment suggests its utility as a marker for heart failure management.
Abstract

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