MELD Scoring for Liver Transplants in Need of Sex Adjustment, Study Says

— Researchers find “pervasive sex differences” in sodium-adjusted MELD scoring system

Laboratory traits used in the calculation of sodium-adjusted model for end-stage liver disease (MELDNa) scores placed women at a distinct disadvantage, researchers reported.

In an electronic health record (EHR)-based study of more than 600,000 participants, all calculated laboratory values that make up the scoring system showed significant and “pervasive sex differences” between women and men, respectively (P<0.001 for all):
-Mean creatinine: 0.79 vs 0.99 mg/dL
-Bilirubin: 0.58 vs 0.76 mg/dL
-International normalized ratio of prothrombin rate: 1.20 vs 1.24
-Sodium: 139.03 vs 139.00 mEq/L
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