# United Kingdom Model for End-Stage Liver Disease

The United Kingdom Model for End-Stage Liver Disease or UKELD is a medical scoring system used to predict the prognosis of patients with chronic liver disease. It is used in the United Kingdom to help determine the need for liver transplantation.[1] It was developed from the MELD score, incorporating the serum sodium level.[2]

## Determination

The UKELD score is calculated from the patient's INR, serum creatinine, serum bilirubin and serum sodium, according to the formula:[3]

${\displaystyle (5.395\times \ln INR)+(1.485\times \ln creatinine)+(3.13\times \ln bilirubin)-(81.565\times \ln Na)+435}$

## Interpretation

Higher UKELD scores equate to higher one-year mortality risk. A UKELD score of 49 indicates a 9% one-year risk of mortality, and is the minimum score required to be added to the liver transplant waiting list in the U.K.[1] A UKELD score of 60 indicates a 50% chance of one-year survival.[2]

## History

The UKELD score was developed in 2008 to aid in the selection of patients for liver transplantation in the U.K.[4]