Inflammation Marker Predicts Early Death in Hospitalized Cirrhosis

A prospective cohort study published in PLOS One suggests a single blood test for interleukin-6 (IL-6) at hospital admission can help predict in-hospital death for patients with cirrhosis, though the signal depends on disease context. Researchers at a tertiary hepatology center in India followed 489 consecutive hospitalized patients between April 2022 and October 2023 and measured serum IL-6. The median admission IL-6 level was 23.8 picograms per milliliter, far above levels in healthy individuals. Nine percent died during the hospital stay, and overall mortality during follow-up reached 70.6%. After adjustment for age, sex, and established severity measures, each IL-6 increment increased odds of in-hospital death (adjusted odds ratio 1.34; 95% CI 1.08–1.67).