Etiology and prognosis of liver cirrhosis in elderly patients.

We compared the etiology and prognosis of liver cirrhosis in patients age 60 and older with that of patients under age 60 during the 1980s (1981-89, n = 207). Non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANB) was significantly more prevalent in the elderly (p < 0.05), and the mean age of NANB and alcoholic cirrhosis (Alc) were significantly older than those with hepatitis B virus (HBV) (p < 0.05). Evaluation using hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody also revealed significantly higher mean age of HCV (p < 0.05). Male patient was predominant in the younger patients than in the elderly patients. (M/F = 2.94 and 1.33, respectively) The estimated 5-year survival rate was 73.1% in the younger patients and 60.2% in the elderly patients (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex, a lower serum albumin level, and the presence of the encephalopathy were significantly associated with poor prognosis in the elderly, while a lower serum cholinesterase level and a higher indocyanin green retention rate at 15 minutes (ICGR15) were significantly associated with poor prognosis in younger patients. However, causes of deaths were not significantly different between the younger patients and the elderly patients, the proportion of deaths unrelated to liver disease predominated in the elderly patients. Thus, the etiology and the prognostic factors of liver cirrhosis in elderly patients differ from those in younger patients.