Life Expectancy after Liver Transplantation for NASH

Introduction: Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis is an increasing reason for liver transplantation in the western world. Knowledge of recipient life expectancy may assist in prudent allocation of a relatively scarce supply of donor livers. Research Questions: We calculated life expectancies for Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients both at time of transplant and one year later, stratified by key risk factors, and examined whether survival has improved in recent years. Design: Data on 6635 NASH patients who underwent liver transplantation in the MELD era (2002-2018) from the United States OPTN database were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model and life table methods. Results: Factors related to survival were age, presence of diabetes or hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and whether the patient required dialysis in the week prior to transplant. Other important factors were whether the patient was working, hospitalization prior to transplant, ventilator support, and length of hospital stay (LOS). Survival improved over the study period at roughly 4.5% per calendar year during the first year posttransplant, though no improvement was observed in those who had survived one year. Conclusion: Life expectancy in NASH transplant patients was much reduced from normal, and varied according to age, medical factors, status at transplant, and post transplant course. Over the 17-year study period, patient survival improved markedly during the first year posttransplant, though not thereafter. The results given here may prove helpful in medical decision-making regarding treatment for both liver disease and other medical conditions, as they provide both clinicians and their patients with evidence-based information on prognosis.