IgG, a novel predictor for acute-on-chronic liver failure and survival in patients with decompensated cirrhosis?

With great interest we read the article of Basho and colleagues [1]. Patients with liver cirrhosis often present with hypergammaglobulinemia (HGG) [2], most likely as a response to an increase of gut derived endotoxins in the course of portosystemic shunting [3]. While one could argue that HGG might indicate the presence of increased amounts of systemic endotoxin levels, Basho et al. demonstrated that HGG could identify those with a more intact ability to sufficiently produce IgG antibodies and is therefore an indicator for a preserved immune system and a favorable prognosis.

Source: Journal of Hepatology - February 3, 2021 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tammo L. Tergast, Marie Schultalbers, Heiner Wedemeyer, Markus Cornberg, Benjamin Maasoumy Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research