How do I calculate the MELD score?

You need bilirubin, INR and creatinine; for MELD-Na also sodium. The calculator puts them into the UNOS formula and returns a score from 6 to 40. Enter bilirubin and creatinine in µmol/L — conversion to mg / dL is automatic.

How is MELD-Na different from MELD?

MELD-Na also accounts for blood sodium: low sodium in cirrhosis worsens prognosis. Sodium is applied when MELD is above 11.

It’s the version UNOS has used for organ allocation since 2023. On top of bilirubin, INR, creatinine and sodium it adds albumin and sex and lowers the creatinine cap to 3 mg / dL. Women score slightly higher for the same labs. The calculator computes MELD 3.0 when albumin and sodium are entered.

What MELD score is high?

Roughly: 9 and below is low risk, 10–19 moderate, 20–29 high, 30 and above very high. The higher the score, the higher the 3-month mortality and transplant priority.

How does dialysis affect it?

If the patient is on dialysis (≥2×/week), creatinine is taken as 4 mg / dL — this raises the score, reflecting the severity of kidney involvement in liver disease.

Does MELD make a diagnosis?

No. It is a prognostic scale, not a diagnosis. It does not capture all cirrhosis complications, so decisions (including transplant) are made by a doctor from the whole picture.

MELD 3.0 and MELD-Na calculator (liver disease severity)

MELD is a point-based model of chronic liver disease severity. Enter bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, albumin and sex — the calculator returns the MELD 3.0 score (the current UNOS standard since 2023) and a 3-month prognosis guide, with classic MELD and MELD-Na shown alongside. Enter values in µmol/L (albumin in g / L); conversion is automatic. It is a tool for clinicians and understanding, not self-diagnosis.

Calculate the MELD score

Enter bilirubin, INR and creatinine — the score appears instantly. Add sodium, albumin and sex to compute MELD 3.0.

What the MELD score means (3-month prognosis)

A guide to 3-month mortality in cirrhosis by MELD score (from the model’s original data). Values are approximate and do not replace a doctor’s assessment, the trend and work-up.

MELD score	3-month mortality (guide)
9 and below	≈ 2%
10–19	≈ 6%
20–29	≈ 20%
30–39	≈ 53%
40	≈ 71%

What MELD is

MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) is a numeric scale of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis severity. It is computed from objective labs and reflects the risk of a poor outcome over the coming months.

MELD is used to estimate prognosis and to set the liver-transplant queue: the higher the score, the higher the priority. The final score ranges from 6 to 40.

How it works: formula and units

It uses bilirubin, INR and creatinine: MELD = 3.78·ln(bilirubin) + 11.2·ln(INR) + 9.57·ln(creatinine) + 6.43. Values below 1 mg / dL are set to 1. Creatinine is capped at 4 mg / dL; on dialysis (≥2×/week) it is taken as 4.

Bilirubin and creatinine measured in µmol/L are converted to mg / dL (÷17.1 and ÷88.4). The result is rounded and bounded to 6–40.

MELD-Na: why sodium

Low blood sodium (hyponatremia) in cirrhosis worsens prognosis. So the MELD-Na version adds sodium and predicts outcome better. It is the version now used for organ allocation.

Sodium is applied when MELD is above 11 and bounded to 125–137 mmol / L. Enter sodium and the calculator computes MELD-Na and shows the classic MELD alongside.

MELD 3.0: what’s new

Since 2023 UNOS allocates organs by MELD 3.0. It adds albumin and sex to the earlier inputs (women score slightly higher for the same labs — older versions underestimated their severity) and lowers the creatinine cap from 4 to 3 mg / dL.

The calculator computes MELD 3.0 when albumin (in g / L) and sodium are entered and shows it as the final score; classic MELD and MELD-Na remain alongside for comparison.

What the score is used for

Mainly transplant waiting-list priority and prognosis before operations and procedures. The score is watched over time: a rising MELD is a warning sign.

MELD does not capture everything (e.g. complications like variceal bleeding), so a doctor — not the number alone — makes decisions.

A clinician’s tool, not self-diagnosis

The calculator helps you understand your result and prepare to talk to your doctor. It does not diagnose or set treatment — a hepatologist does, considering the whole picture.

Frequently asked questions

You need bilirubin, INR and creatinine; for MELD-Na also sodium. The calculator puts them into the UNOS formula and returns a score from 6 to 40. Enter bilirubin and creatinine in µmol/L — conversion to mg / dL is automatic.
MELD-Na also accounts for blood sodium: low sodium in cirrhosis worsens prognosis. Sodium is applied when MELD is above 11.
It’s the version UNOS has used for organ allocation since 2023. On top of bilirubin, INR, creatinine and sodium it adds albumin and sex and lowers the creatinine cap to 3 mg / dL. Women score slightly higher for the same labs. The calculator computes MELD 3.0 when albumin and sodium are entered.
Roughly: 9 and below is low risk, 10–19 moderate, 20–29 high, 30 and above very high. The higher the score, the higher the 3-month mortality and transplant priority.
If the patient is on dialysis (≥2×/week), creatinine is taken as 4 mg / dL — this raises the score, reflecting the severity of kidney involvement in liver disease.
No. It is a prognostic scale, not a diagnosis. It does not capture all cirrhosis complications, so decisions (including transplant) are made by a doctor from the whole picture.

Bilirubin, INR, creatinine — values from your labs

Upload your report — AI reads liver and kidney values together, links them and explains what to do.

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This calculator is for reference and information only and is not a diagnosis. Liver disease severity and treatment decisions are determined by a doctor.