Background: We aimed to determine the relationship between endocan and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.
Materials and methods: Patients with liver cirrhosis and no heart disease were included in a prospective observational study with liver disease decompensation and death as primary outcomes.
Results: 83 cirrhotic patients were included and 32 had cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Endocan levels were significantly lower in patients with cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (5.6 vs. 7 ng/mL, p = 0.034). Endocan correlated with severity of cirrhosis, time to decompensation or death from liver disease (OR 4.5 95% CI 1.06-31.1).
Conclusion: Endocan is a promising biomarker of severity of cirrhosis and may help in the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction in this population.
Keywords: cirrhosis; cirrhotic cardiomyopathy; echocardiography; endocan; follow-up studies; haemodynamics; portal hypertension.