Predictors for oesophageal candidiasis in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background and aim: Oesophageal candidiasis (OC) is one of the most common infections among patients with liver cirrhosis. The present study evaluates the potential predictors for OC among liver cirrhosis patients.

Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted in the tertiary care centre of coastal Karnataka from January 2016 to April 2022. Patients aged 18 and above with a confirmed diagnosis of liver cirrhosis were selected. Patients were equally divided into two groups, i.e., case and control, based on the presence and absence of OC.

Results: A total of 1513 patients with cirrhosis underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Of these, 50 (3.3%) were diagnosed with OC and taken into case group. An equal number of patients were selected in control group and matched for gender, age and etiology. Most participants were male (94%), with a mean age of 48.46±11.82 years. A lower serum creatinine value was noted among patients with OC. Binary logistic regression identified serum creatinine as an independent predictor for OC (OR: 7.65, 95% CI: 2.012-29.08; p-value: 0.003). The receiver operating characteristic curve for serum creatinine showed the highest significance with a cut-off of <0.86 mg/dL (AUC: 0.722).

Conclusion: Serum creatinine is the independent predictor for OC among liver cirrhosis patients. The possible mechanism is that cirrhosis is a catabolic state in which muscle protein breakdown exceeds synthesis, resulting in decreased muscle mass and low creatinine levels. However, more prospective studies are required to evaluate the role of sarcopenia with OC among liver cirrhosis patients.