Standards of liver cirrhosis care in Central Australia

Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are highly prevalent in Australia's Northern Territory. Contributing factors include high levels of alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis and metabolic syndrome. Rural Aboriginal residents form a significant proportion of the Central Australian population and present a challenge to traditional models of liver care. HCC surveillance and variceal screening are core components of liver cirrhosis management.

To assess participation in HCC and variceal surveillance programmes in a Central Australian liver cirrhosis patient cohort.

Retrospective cohort study of patients with liver cirrhosis presenting to Alice Springs Hospital, Australia between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2017. Demographic data, disease severity, attendance at hepatology clinics, participation in variceal and/or HCC surveillance programmes was recorded. Regression analyses were conducted to assess factors associated with two independent outcomes: Participation in HCC and variceal surveillance.

Of 193 patients were identified. 82 patients (42.4%) were female. 154 patients (80%) identified as Aboriginal. Median Model for End-stage Liver Disease Score at diagnosis was 11. Alcohol was the most common cause of cirrhosis. Aboriginal patients were younger than non-Aboriginal patients (48.4 years vs 59.9 years, P < 0.001). There were similar rates of excess alcohol intake (72.6% vs 66.7%, P = 0.468) and obesity (34.5% vs 38.4%, P = 0.573 across non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal cohorts. 20.1% of patients took part in HCC surveillance and 42.1% of patients completed variceal screening. Aboriginal patients were less likely to engage with either HCC surveillance (OR: 0.38, 95%CI: 0.16-0.9, P = 0.025) or undergo variceal screening (OR: 0.31, 95%CI: 0.14-0.65, P = 0.002).

HCC or variceal surveillance programmes had less uptake amongst Aboriginal patients. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on eliminating cultural obstacles to accessing hepatology services.