Background: Patients with liver cirrhosis are at increased risk of serious bacterial infections carrying a high case fatality rate. Case reports have suggested an association between liver cirrhosis and pyogenic liver abscess.

Objective: To estimate the risk and case fatality rate of pyogenic liver abscess in Danish patients with liver cirrhosis compared with the background population.

Methods: Identification of all patients with liver cirrhosis and pyogenic liver abscess over a 17 year period in the National Registry of Patients. Information on death was obtained from the Danish Central Person Registry.

Results: We identified 22 764 patients with liver cirrhosis and 665 patients with pyogenic liver abscess, of whom 21 were cirrhotics and 644 were non-cirrhotics. The crude incidence rate of liver abscess in cirrhotics was 23.3 (95% CI 14.4-35.6) per 100 000 person years. The age adjusted risk of liver abscess was increased 15-fold in patients with cirrhosis compared with the background population. The 30 day case fatality rates in patients with liver abscess and cirrhosis were 38.5% (13.9-68.4) in alcoholic cirrhosis and 62.5% (24.5-91.5) in non-alcoholic cirrhosis compared with 26.9% (23.5-30.5) in liver abscess patients from the background population. After adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidity, the relative risk of death was increased more than fourfold in alcoholic cirrhosis and non-alcoholic cirrhosis compared with the background population.

Conclusions: Liver cirrhosis is a strong risk factor for pyogenic liver abscess associated with a poor prognosis.