Type 2 Diabetes: A Risk Factor for Hospital Readmissions and Mortality in Australian Patients With Cirrhosis

Although there is evidence that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) impacts adversely on liver-related mortality, its influence on hospital readmissions and development of complications in patients with cirrhosis, particularly in alcohol-related cirrhosis (the most common etiological factor among Australian hospital admissions for cirrhosis) has not been well studied. This study aimed to investigate the association between T2D and liver cirrhosis in a population-based cohort of patients admitted for cirrhosis in the state of Queensland, Australia. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection, which contains information on all hospital episodes of care for patients with liver cirrhosis, and the Death Registry during 2008-2017. We used demographic, clinical data, and socioeconomic characteristics. A total of 8,631 patients were analyzed. A higher proportion of patients with T2D had cryptogenic cirrhosis (42.4% vs. 27.3%, respectively; P < 0.001) or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (13.8% vs. 3.4%, respectively; P < 0.001) and an admission for hepatocellular carcinoma (18.0% vs. 12.2%, respectively; P < 0.001) compared to patients without T2D. Patients with liver cirrhosis with T2D compared to those without T2D had a significantly increased median length of hospital stay (6 [range, 1-11] vs. 5 [range, 1-11] days, respectively; P < 0.001), double the rate of noncirrhosis-related admissions (incidence rate ratios [IRR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98-2.07), a 1.35-fold increased rate of cirrhosis-related admissions (IRR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.30-1.41), and significantly lower survival (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Among hospitalized patients with cirrhosis, the cohort with T2D is at higher risk and may benefit from attention to comorbidities and additional support to reduce readmissions.