Background: Cirrhosis is the irreversible fibrosis of liver, it continues to be a common cause of morbidity and mortality. It is accompanied by inflammation and malnutrition and thus can have a negative effects on bone metabolism and promote fractures accordingly.
Aim of the study: to evaluate the risk of fractures among patients with cirrhosis.
Methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature following PRISMA/STROBE guidelines, Medline Cochrane Library and Embase abstracts were retrieved using an algorithm comprising relevant MeSH terms from 1980 to 2017. Publications on the association of cirrhosis/bone fracture were abstracted independently by the authors and included in both gender and gender-specific meta-analyses, following recalculations of published data as appropriate. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the quality of included studies.
Results: 8 studies met the inclusion criteria enrolling 988 patients (286 of which are diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Overall, ALD demonstrated a relative risk (RR) of 1.825, 95%CI: 1.370-2.28, P < 0.001 for the development of bone fractures. Bone mineral density (BMD) was not significantly different between the ALD and control groups, although there was a trend toward lower BMD in patients with ALD. Sensitivity analyses showed consistent results.
Conclusion: in accordance to the present meta-analysis, there is a significant correlation between bone fractures and ALD independent of BMD.