Hepatology

Maddrey's Discriminant Function

Severity of alcoholic hepatitis.

Education and reference only. Not a substitute for clinical judgement, local policy or product labelling. Always verify before clinical use. Values are calculated in your browser and never stored.

When to use

Use in alcoholic hepatitis to assess severity and whether corticosteroid therapy may be indicated.

Why use

A value ≥32 identifies severe disease with high short-term mortality.

Critical actions

Bilirubin in mg/dL (divide µmol/L by 17.1). A score ≥32 may prompt consideration of corticosteroids — a specialist decision weighing infection and other risks.

Evidence & references

  1. Maddrey WC et al. Corticosteroid therapy of alcoholic hepatitis. Gastroenterology. 1978.

Related calculators

Child-Pugh ScoreSeverity and prognosis of chronic liver disease.MELD ScoreSeverity of end-stage liver disease.

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