About

Kapuluru Reddy, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at The University of Chicago, specializing in the management of complex liver diseases including viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). He is also an expert in general endoscopy and colon cancer screening. Dr. Reddy's research focuses on clinical trials for novel therapeutics in rare cholestatic liver conditions, where he has served as a Principal Investigator. His academic contributions include high-impact publications in journals such as Hepatology and Gastroenterology. In addition to his clinical and research activities, he is a faculty member of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, with interests in medical education and issues related to the physician workforce. Dr. Reddy has previously served as the GI Fellowship Program Director and has received multiple teaching and mentorship awards. He is actively involved in professional societies including the AASLD, AGA, and ACG.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Microbiology
• Surgery
• Bioinformatics
• Demography
• Immunology
• Biology
• Family medicine
• Biochemistry

Selected publications

• Early Diagnosis and Timely Terlipressin in Hepatorenal Syndrome Improves Projected Outcomes and Lowers Cost

  ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research · 2025-08-01

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Terlipressin is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for adults with hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI) with rapid reduction in kidney function. Treatment with terlipressin, particularly in patients with lower serum creatinine (SCr) at diagnosis, improves outcomes. Despite evidence suggesting that treating HRS-AKI at lower SCr thresholds may improve clinical outcomes, the impact on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and medical costs of an earlier intervention strategy remains unquantified. This model-based analysis was conducted from a United States hospital perspective to project the clinical and economic impact of early HRS-AKI diagnosis and treatment with terlipressin among adults. Methods: A decision-analytic model compared two SCr level-based scenarios and projected the outcomes for both scenarios. For current clinical practice, patient distribution was based on the CONFIRM trial (SCr <3 mg/dL: 45% and ≥3 to <5 mg/dL: 55%). For early diagnosis and treatment, distribution was based on the HRS medical chart review study (<3 mg/dL: 85% and ≥3 to <5 mg/dL: 15%). Terlipressin HRS reversal rate for the on-label population (SCr <5 mg/dL and acute-on-chronic liver failure grade 0-2) was 52.2% for SCr <3 mg/dL and 33.3% for SCr ≥3 to <5 mg/dL. An annual HRS incidence of 50,000 was assumed. Results: Based on the modeled projections, early diagnosis and treatment with terlipressin versus current practice yielded an additional 3040 HRS reversals and consequently led to a reduction in hospital days and intensive care unit days. Early intervention resulted in 960 fewer patients requiring renal replacement therapy during hospitalization and 1200 more patients with 90-day transplant-free survival. Early intervention is projected to save $11,504 per patient, with total national savings of $460.2 million annually. Conclusion: Based on the modeled projections using data from clinical trial, earlier HRS diagnosis and treatment with terlipressin may improve clinical outcomes, reduce HCRU, and save costs versus current clinical practice.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• P221 Alkaline phosphatase changes with seladelpar across subgroups of primary biliary cholangitis patients in the RESPONSE trial

  2025-06-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Phase II INTEGRIS-PSC trial of bexotegrast, an αvβ6/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor, in primary sclerosing cholangitis

  Journal of Hepatology · 2025-09-27 · 7 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The impending hepatology workforce shortage: Ethical considerations for closing the gap

  Clinical Liver Disease · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

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  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Geographic opportunities for growth in the transplant hepatology training workforce

  Liver Transplantation · 2024-04-22 · 2 citations

  letter

  Hutchison, Alan L.; Reddy, K. Gautham; Paul, Sonali; Pillai, Anjana A. Author Information

  PublisherDOI

• Prebiotic activity of lactulose optimizes gut metabolites and prevents systemic infection in liver disease patients

  medRxiv · 2023-02-16

  preprintOpen access

  ABSTRACT Progression of chronic liver diseases is precipitated by hepatocyte loss, inflammation and fibrosis. This process results in the loss of critical hepatic functions, increasing morbidity and the risk of infection. Medical interventions that treat complications of hepatic failure, including antibiotic administration for systemic infections, impact gut microbiome composition and metabolite production. Using a multi-omics approach on 850 fecal samples from 263 patients with acute or chronic liver disease, we demonstrate that patients hospitalized for liver disease have reduced microbiome diversity and a paucity of bioactive metabolites. We find that patients treated with the orally administered but non-absorbable disaccharide lactulose have increased densities of intestinal Bifidobacteria and reduced incidence of systemic infections and mortality. Bifidobacteria metabolize lactulose, produce high concentrations of acetate and acidify the gut lumen, which, in combination, can reduce the growth of antibiotic-resistant pathobionts such as Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium . Our studies suggest that lactulose and Bifidobacteria serve as a synbiotic to reduce rates of infection in patients with severe liver disease.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bifidobacteria metabolize lactulose to optimize gut metabolites and prevent systemic infection in patients with liver disease

  Nature Microbiology · 2023 · 62 citations

  • Biology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Microbiology
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Practice Habits, Knowledge, and Attitudes of Hepatologists to Alcohol Use Disorder Medication: Sobering Gaps and Opportunities

  Transplantation Direct · 2020 · 22 citations

  • Medicine
  • Family medicine
  • Internal medicine

  The prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-associated liver disease is increasing in the United States. Efficacious AUD pharmacotherapies, while available, are, for protean reasons, underutilized. Hepatology providers may be in a position to bridge the pharmacotherapeutic gap between availability and utilization of AUD pharmacotherapies. Our aim was to ascertain the current practice, knowledge and attitudes of hepatology physicians in the United States, and identify opportunities on how to increase AUD medication prescribing. METHODS: A web-based survey, developed by an expert panel, was administered to hepatology physicians working at all transplant centers in the United States. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 131/658 (20%). There was significant support (two-thirds of respondents) for hepatology providers prescribing AUD medications; however, only 1 in 4 was comfortable prescribing these medications. The majority felt additional education is needed to prescribe AUD medications. The practice of hepatology providers prescribing AUD medications is common, with >50% of respondents having done so. Baclofen was the most popular medication prescribed. Hepatology providers perceived suboptimal ancillary addiction services. Although AUD prescribers had higher rates of AUD pharmacotherapy knowledge compared with nonprescribers, approximately 50% still had inadequate knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: AUD medication prescribing is a common practice among hepatology providers who appear eager to increase this practice through more education as they attempt to bridge the pharmacotherapeutic gap. This informative survey provides guidance for professional societies on how best to disseminate the requisite education required to optimize the care of patients with AUD.

  PublisherDOI

• Predictors of mortality and endoscopic intervention in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the intensive care unit

  Gastroenterology report · 2020-02-09 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: The outcomes of patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in the intensive care unit (ICU) for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) are not well described. Our aims were to determine predictors of 30-day mortality and endoscopic intervention, and assess the utility of existing clinical-prediction tools for UGIB in this population. METHODS: Patients hospitalized in an ICU between 2008 and 2015 who underwent EGD were identified using a validated, machine-learning algorithm. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with 30-day mortality and endoscopic intervention. Area under receiver-operating characteristics (AUROC) analysis was used to evaluate established UGIB scoring systems in predicting mortality and endoscopic intervention in patients who presented to the hospital with UGIB. RESULTS: A total of 606 patients underwent EGD for UGIB while admitted to an ICU. The median age of the cohort was 62 years and 55.9% were male. Multivariate analysis revealed that predictors associated with 30-day mortality included American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class (odds ratio [OR] 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-7.9), Charlson score (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.3), and duration from hospital admission to EGD (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07). Rockall, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores were poorly predictive of endoscopic intervention (AUROC: 0.521, 0.514, and 0.540, respectively) and in-hospital mortality (AUROC: 0.510, 0.568, and 0.506, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Predictors associated with 30-day mortality include ASA classification, Charlson score, and duration in the hospital prior to EGD. Existing risk tools are poorly predictive of clinical outcomes, which highlights the need for a more accurate risk-stratification tool to predict the benefit of intervention within the ICU population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Liver transplantation for alcoholic hepatitis in the United States: Excellent outcomes with profound temporal and geographic variation in frequency

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2020 · 105 citations

  • Medicine
  • Internal medicine
  • Demography
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Prativa Shah

  16 shared

• Dorairaj Prabhakaran

  Centre for Chronic Disease Control

  16 shared

• Vivek K. Chaturvedi

  16 shared

• Helen S. Te

  13 shared

• Nancy Reau

  7 shared

• Thomas G. Cotter

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  6 shared

• Andrew Aronsohn

  University of Chicago

  6 shared

• Rohit Satoskar

  6 shared

Labs

• Kapuluru ReddyPI

Education

• M.D.

  University of Tennessee

  1998

• Other

  University of Tennessee

  2001

• Other

  University of Tennessee

  2004

Awards & honors

• Joseph B. Kirsner Mentorship Award University of Chicago (20…
• Chicago Top Doctors, Castle Connolly (2022) - Pres
• Joseph B. Kirsner Mentorship Award University of Chicago (20…
• GI Fellow Teaching Award University of Chicago (2015)