Association between lipid profile components and health-related quality of life among hospitalized patients with cirrhosis

The relationship between lipid profile components and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has gained attention in general populations along with disease conditions; however, scant data is clarifying these connections in cirrhosis. We sought to identify which lipid profile component was associated with HRQoL in hospitalized cirrhotics and delineate the relationship by performing multiple linear regression and generalized additive model (GAM) analyses. This cross-sectional study recruited 344 patients with lipid profile data, which comprised total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). HRQoL was defined by the EuroQol Group 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) utility index. The levels of HDL-C were positively correlated with the utility index (r: 0.159, <i>p</i> = 0.003). Multiple linear regression analysis showed an increase in HDL-C was independently associated with better EQ-5D-defined HRQoL (β: 0.088 [0.015, 0.161], <i>p</i> = 0.018). Moreover, sex disparities concerning the dose–response relationship between male <i>versus</i> female patients existed via GAM analysis. In males, GAM indicated a non-linear correlation between HDL-C and EQ-5D utility index, whilst a linear correlation was observed in females. We disentangled the association between increased HDL-C levels and better EQ-5D-defined HRQoL in hospitalized cirrhotics. Furthermore, the dose–response relationship between HDL-C and EQ-5D utility index differed between males and females, suggesting sex-dimorphic mechanisms linking HDL-C to HRQoL. If validated in interventional studies, sex-specific HDL-C pathway modulation might inform future adjunctive approaches.