Comparison of fungal vs bacterial infections in the medical intensive liver unit: Cause or corollary for high mortality?

Table 1 Baseline cohort characteristics between liver intensive care unit patients with fungal and bacterial infections

Characteristic	Bacteria, n = 1831	Fungal, n = 271	P value2
Age	60 (50, 66)	58 (46, 66)	0.3
Sex
Female	73 (40)	12 (44)
Male	110 (60)	15 (56)
Race
American Indian/Alaska Native	1 (0.5)	0 (0)
Asian	1 (0.5)	0 (0)
Black	27 (15)	6 (22)
Declined	1 (0.5)	2 (7.4)
Multiracial/cultural	7 (3.8)	1 (3.7)
Unavailable	7 (3.8)	1 (3.7)
White	139 (76)	17 (63)
Charlson Comorbidity Score	6.00 (5.00, 7.00)	6.00 (4.00, 7.00)	0.3
Hepatocellular carcinoma	18 (9.8)	1 (3.7)	0.5
Principal liver diagnosis
Acute liver failure	10 (5)	2 (7.4)	> 0.9
Cirrhosis	141 (78)	21 (78)	> 0.9
Alcohol-associated hepatitis (comorbid3)	16 (9.3)	6 (22)	0.093
Acute severe liver injury/other4	34 (17)	4 (14.6)	> 0.9
Etiology of viral disease
Viral hepatitis	24 (13)	9 (33)	0.016
Alcohol-associated	75 (41)	13 (48)	0.6
Autoimmune	8 (4.4)	1 (3.7)	> 0.9
NASH	44 (24)	5 (19)	0.7
Primary biliary cholangitis	4 (2.2)	1 (3.7)	> 0.9
Primary sclerosing cholangitis	17 (9.3)	1 (3.7)	0.5
Other	34 (19)	6 (22)	0.9
Toxins	4 (2.2)	0 (0)	> 0.9
Ischemic injury	5 (2.7)	1 (3.7)	> 0.9
Cryptogenic	16 (8.7)	1 (3.7)	0.6
Decompensation defining events
Ascites	144 (79)	23 (85)	0.6
Hepatic encephalopathy	138 (75)	25 (93)	0.08
Hepatorenal syndrome	63 (34)	16 (59)	0.023
EV history/variceal bleeding	106 (58)	16 (59)	> 0.9
HPS	2 (1.1)	0 (0)	> 0.9
PoPHTN	6 (3.3)	0 (0)	0.7
Hepatic hydrothorax	27 (15)	3 (11)	0.8
SBP	45 (25)	12 (44)	0.053
Coagulopathy	122 (67)	21 (78)	0.3
Thrombocytopenia	107 (58)	20 (74)	0.2

¹Median (IQR); n (%).

²Welch Two Sample t-test; Standardized Mean Difference; Two sample test for equality of proportions.

³Only 1 case of alcohol-associated hepatitis occurred without comorbid cirrhosis in bacterial cohort, not included in proportion shown.

⁴Other etiologies include chronic post-transplant patients with liver injury/recurrent portal hypertension, portal vein thrombosis, non-hepatitis viral infection and Caroli disease in conjunction with severe liver injury.

HPS: Hepatopulmonary syndrome; PoPTHN: Portopulmonary hypertension; SBP: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.