ukeld_score: United Kingdom Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (UKELD)

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

United Kingdom Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (UKELD)

Description

Calculates the UKELD score, used in the United Kingdom to assess the severity of chronic liver disease and determine eligibility for liver transplantation listing. A UKELD score of 49 or greater typically indicates a 1-year mortality risk of approximately 9%, which is considered the minimum threshold for listing.

Usage

ukeld_score(bilirubin_umol_l, inr, creatinine_umol_l, sodium_mmol_l)

Arguments

bilirubin_umol_l	Numeric. Serum Bilirubin level in micromol/L. (Note: UKELD uses micromol/L, unlike MELD which often uses mg/dL).
inr	Numeric. International Normalized Ratio.
creatinine_umol_l	Numeric. Serum Creatinine level in micromol/L.
sodium_mmol_l	Numeric. Serum Sodium level in mmol/L.

Details

The formula is:

UKELD = (5.395 \times \ln(INR)) + (1.266 \times \ln(Bilirubin)) + (1.541 \times \ln(Creatinine)) + (1.567 \times \ln(Sodium))

Values for Bilirubin, INR, and Creatinine are capped at a minimum of 1.0 to avoid negative logarithms.

Value

A list containing:

UKELD_Score	The calculated score (rounded to the nearest integer).
Listing_Criteria	Indication of whether the score meets the minimum threshold for transplant listing.
Est_1_Year_Mortality_Without_Transplant	Estimated 1-year mortality percentage.

References

Barber K, et al. The UKELD score: validation of a new scoring system for liver transplantation in the UK. Neuberger J, Gimson A, Davies M, et al. Selection of patients for liver transplantation and allocation of donated livers in the UK. Gut. 2008;57(2):252-257. doi:10.1136/gut.2007.131730

Examples

# Example 1: Meets Listing Criteria
# Bili 50, INR 1.5, Cr 100, Na 135
ukeld_score(50, 1.5, 100, 135)

# Example 2: Below Listing Criteria
# Bili 15, INR 1.1, Cr 70, Na 140
ukeld_score(15, 1.1, 70, 140)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.