Abstract: Objective To analyze the predictive value of serum prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on the occurrence of infection in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Methods Sixty-six patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis admitted from March 2016 to March 2018 were selected. The patients were divided into an infection group (n=23) and a non-infection group (n=43) according to whether they had the occurrence of infection. Another 40 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis treated at the same period of time were selected as the control group. Serum PGE2 levels were measured in all three groups of patients. The predictive value of PGE2 levels on the occurrence of infection in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis was analyzed. Results The PGE2 levels in the infection group (3686.87±232.25 pg/mL) and the non-infection group (2132.03±120.04 pg/mL) were significantly higher than that in the control group(1348.97±87.58) (P<0.05), and the level in the infection group was higher than that in the non-infection group (P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of PGE2 level to predict the occurrence of infection in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis was 0.84 (95%CI=0.74-0.90), which was statistically significant (P<0.01). When the cut-off value of PGE2 level was set at 2758 pg/mL, the specificity for predicting the occurrence of infection was 0.785, and the sensitivity was 0.829. Conclusion The level of PGE2 in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis is closely related to the occurrence of infection. PGE2 level has higher specificity and sensitivity for predicting infection occurrence in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Key words: Cirrhosis, Decompensation, PGE2, Infection, Predictive value