A Study of Association of Model of End Stage Liver Disease Score and Morbidity Outcomes in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Background: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a scoring system that was initially developed to assess the severity of chronic liver disease. It incorporates three key laboratory values: serum bilirubin, serum creatinine, and the international normalized ratio (INR) for prothrombin time. This system provides a quantitative measurement of liver function and aids in prioritizing liver transplantation by predicting the short-term survival probability of patients with end-stage liver disease. Materials & Methods: This is hospital based cross sectional observational study which was conducted in the  Department of general medicine of Meenakshi Medical college Hospital with study period of 1 year. The total sample size of the study was 100 patients. The collected data was entered in Microsoft Excel. Coding of the variables was done. Analysis was done using SPSS software (Version 27, IBM). Results: patients aged 51-60 years make up the largest group at 39%, followed by those aged 41-50 years at 27%. The 61-70 years group accounts for 17%, while individuals over 71 years represent 13%. The smallest group is individuals aged 31-40 years at 11%. The most common condition is Diabetic Mellitus affecting 31%, followed by Hypertension at 29%. 22% have both conditions, 18% have no co-morbidities. 39% of participants had a hospital stay of < 5 days, and 61% stayed for > 5 days. The highest severity group with MELD scores over 40 comprises 25%, while scores between 30-39, 20-29, 10-19, and 9 or less represent 17%, 19%, 21%, and 18% respectively. Among severity categories, "Severe" is the largest at 32%, followed by "Very Severe" at 29%, and "Mild to Moderately Severe" at 28%. The smallest group, "Mild," represents 11% of the population. Conclusion: The correlation found between MELD scores and hospital stay duration in ischemic stroke patients emphasizes the complex liver-brain interactions, indicating the necessity for individualized multidisciplinary care. Keywords: Model of End Stage Liver Disease Score, Morbidity, Ischemic Stroke, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale.