To analyze the clinical features and microbial characteristics of patients with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA), and to determine the risk factors and biomarkers for early diagnosis of sepsis caused by PLA.

The demographic and clinical data of 198 patients with liver abscess admitted to Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2013 to June 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with non-bacterial liver abscess, death on admission and tumor metastasis were excluded. The 198 patients with liver abscess were divided into the sepsis group and non-sepsis group according to the disease progression. The general data of the two groups were analyzed to explore the risk factors of sepsis caused by liver abscess, biomarkers for early diagnosis, and the prognosis. Patients with positive culture were further divided into the Klebsiella pneumoniae group and non-Klebsiella pneumoniae group, and the general clinical data of the two groups were analyzed. Among the PLA patients with positive culture, 80.0% were Klebsiella pneumoniae, followed by E. coli. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis, and univariate and logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to determined the risk factors of sepsis induced by PLA. The diagnostic value of white blood cell, neutrophil percentage and procalcitonin (PCT) at admission on the progression of liver abscess to sepsis was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity.

The mortality of patients with sepsis caused by liver abscess was 20.8%. The white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, and PCT at admission predicted the progression of sepsis in PLA patients, and the AUC were 0.76 (95%CI: 0.623-0.898), 0.818 (95%CI: 0.691-0.945), and 0.869 (95%CI: 0.765-0.974), respectively. Patients with diabetes were prone to develop sepsis after the occurrence of liver abscess. There was no significant difference in microbial characteristics between the sepsis group and non-sepsis group. Length of stay (LOS) in patients with sepsis was significantly prolonged [(19.6±12.5) d vs (16.0±9.3) d, P=0.033].

Diabetes is an independent risk factor for the progression of liver abscess to sepsis. Klebsiella pneumoniae is the first pathogen of liver abscess. Patients with elevated glycated hemoglobin (≥9.9%) are prone to develop sepsis. White blood cell count (≥12.55×10⁹/L), percentage of neutrophils (≥84.8%), and PCT (≥6.96 ng/mL) in patients with liver abscess indicated the progresses to sepsis, and thus the LOS of patients with sepsis is significantly prolonged and the mortality is significantly increased.

Liver abscess; Sepsis; Risk factors; Early diagnosis; Retrospective studies