an increasing trendp < 0.001
Relationship between the Laennec scoring system and the PPMS index The PPMS index score showed an increasing trend with liver cirrhosis stage, and the mean score in C0, C1, C2, and C3 stage was 3.233 ± 0.178, 4.823 ± 0.183, 5.080 ± 0.195, 5.305 ± 0.286, respectively ( p < 0.001, Figure 2(a) ).