Cirrhosis is a chronic disease involving permanent scarring of the liver
And it's currently the 11th leading cause of death worldwide
In its most advanced form, the disease impairs kidney function, causing what’s known as hepatorenal syndrome
While inflammation is believed to play a role in cirrhosis No studies have examined the link between inflammation and hepatorenal syndrome until now
Researchers from Spain tracked inflammation responses in 161 patients hospitalized for advanced cirrhosis
Patients who developed hepatorenal syndrome showed a much stronger inflammatory response than those without the disease
The relatively small patient sample means that these results should be interpreted with caution
But the findings could still provide meaningful clues for treating patients with cirrhosis
Helping doctors identify potential targets for slowing disease progression
Solé et al. " Characterization of inflammatory response in hepatorenal syndrome: Relationship with kidney outcome and survival." Liver Int. (2019)