Liver cirrhosis in Roma patients from the perspective of the liver transplant centre

Summary: Introduction: Slovakia is a country with the highest prevalence of liver cirrhosis in the world and a country with the highest proportion of Roma ethnicity at the same time. However, there is only little evidence of Roma representation in national cohorts with cirrhosis. Aims: 1. To determine the prevalence of Roma ethnicity in our cirrhosis and liver transplant registers; to compare their 2. fundamental characteristics and 3. final results with patients from the majority population. Patients and methods: A retrospective study; we acquired data from 1. Cirrhosis registry RH7; 2. Liver transplant registry: a) patients listed active on the liver-transplant waiting list; b) patients underwent first LT. The first source – the cirrhosis registry RH7 (NCT 04767945; since 2014, RH7 has been listing consecutive patients admitted to hospital with liver cirrhosis). Up to 2021, the mode of the ethnicity determination was so-called “ascribed ethnicity”. The second source – the Liver transplant registry (since 2008); the mode of ethnicity determination was identical to the one of RH7. Apart from the ethnicity, the following points were recorded and analyzed in all patients: demographics, elementary cirrhosis-relevant clinical variables such as etiology and MELD score, as well as an elementary LT-relevant variables, such as waiting time and mortality. Results: We present the results on Roma ethnic group in three cohorts from two datasets, i.e. on 1,515 patients from RH7, on 464 waitlisted patients from LT registry and on 302 transplanted patients from LT registry, respectively. The representation of Roma ethnicity in these cohorts were 2%, 4%, and 4%, respectively. Significant differences in age and gender were detected in Roma cirrhotic patients: 46 vs. 55 years (P = 0.001) and female gender 25% vs. 39% (P = 0.042). Of the first time waitlisted candidates for LT, Roma patients were also significantly younger – 42.6 vs. 51.5 years; in addition, Romas had a less prevalent alcohol-associated etiology (ALD) and a more prevalent autoimmune etiology. Finally, Roma patients after first LT were younger – 40.2 vs. 51.6 years, again with lower etiology of ALD – 15% vs. 47% and more autoimmune etiology – 39% vs. 23%. The results of Romas from all cohorts in tertiary care were comparable. Conclusion: 1. the admission of Romas to a tertiary liver care is lower than expected, for unknown reasons; 2. the age of Romas entering tertiary care is approximately ten years lower; 3. the results of Romas in tertiary care is comparable to the majority population. Key words: liver cirrhosis – Roma ethnicity – tertiary liver care – waiting list – liver transplantation