Detection Of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy Research Articles

Detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis based on the Stroop-CN model (NCRCID-CHESS 2106): aprospective multicenter study.

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) has a substantial impact on the clinical outcomes and quality of life (QOL) of patients with cirrhosis. However, timely diagnosis and intervention are challenging due to sophisticated diagnostic methods. In this study, 673 healthy controls and 905 patients with cirrhosis were screened, and 660 healthy controls and 757 patients with cirrhosis, divided into the test (292 patients) and validation (465 patients) cohort, were analyzed after screening. A diagnostic model of the Stroop test (Stroop-CN) was constructed by multivariate linear regression based on the results of healthy controls. The prevalence of MHE and the comparison results with psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score through the Stroop-CN model were stable in the test and validation cohorts. Moreover, the prevalence of MHE remained significantly higher in patients with worse disease conditions marked as high Child-Pugh grades and the Model for End-stage Liver Disease and Sodium (MELD-Na) scores in the test and validation cohort. The EuroQol 5-D questionnaire revealed that patients with MHE had a worse QOL than those without MHE both in the test and validation cohort. In conclusion, an easy and practical Stroop-CN model for MHE diagnosis based on the EncephalApp is established. It is found that a considerable number of Chinese patients with cirrhosis experience MHE, which significantly impacts their QOL.

EncephalApp Stroop Test as a Screening Tool for the Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients with Cirrhosis—Single-Center Experience

Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is the mildest form of hepatic encephalopathy. One of the neuropsychological tests that detects MHE is the Stroop test (via EncephalApp). The aim was to evaluate the Stroop test for the screening and diagnosis of MHE. Methods: This prospective case–control study was performed at the Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, and included patients with cirrhosis and MHE and healthy controls. In all patients, the presence of MHE was confirmed using the animal naming test. The Stroop test was performed on each participant, and the results were compared between the two groups. The test has two components, the “OFF” and “ON” states. Results: A total of 111 participants were included. The median OFF time did not differ between the two groups, 106.3 and 91.4, p > 0.05. However, in patients with MHE, the median values of ON time and total time were significantly higher, with 122.3 vs. 105.3 and 228.0 vs. 195.6, respectively, p < 0.05. Statistical significance between patients and controls in examined parameters was detected in younger participants and the group with higher educational levels. Conclusions: The Stroop test displayed limited sensitivity in Serbian patients. Age and education affect time measurements and test performance.

Automatic Video-Oculography System for Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy Using Machine Learning Tools.

This article presents an automatic gaze-tracker system to assist in the detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy by analyzing eye movements with machine learning tools. To record eye movements, we used video-oculography technology and developed automatic feature-extraction software as well as a machine learning algorithm to assist clinicians in the diagnosis. In order to validate the procedure, we selected a sample (n=47) of cirrhotic patients. Approximately half of them were diagnosed with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), a common neurological impairment in patients with liver disease. By using the actual gold standard, the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score battery, PHES, patients were classified into two groups: cirrhotic patients with MHE and those without MHE. Eye movement tests were carried out on all participants. Using classical statistical concepts, we analyzed the significance of 150 eye movement features, and the most relevant (p-values ≤ 0.05) were selected for training machine learning algorithms. To summarize, while the PHES battery is a time-consuming exploration (between 25-40 min per patient), requiring expert training and not amenable to longitudinal analysis, the automatic video oculography is a simple test that takes between 7 and 10 min per patient and has a sensitivity and a specificity of 93%.

Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy through PHES Battery in Patients with Cirrhosis from the UMAE 14

Introduction: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a neuropsychiatric complication in the patient with hepatic insufficiency, portal hypertension and/or portosystemic shunt, where there is cognitive damage, which includes alterations in attention, integrative function, delay in information processing, among others in the absence of manifest hepatic encephalopathy. Objective: To determine the prevalence of MHE by measuring cognitive damage in patients with hepatic cirrhosis through the PHES battery. Methodology: An observational, prospective, cross-sectional, and analytical study was carried out in patients with liver cirrhosis diagnosis, who came to the outpatient clinic of the gastroenterology department at the UMAE HE No. 14 Adolfo Ruiz Cortines National Medical Center. Patients with cirrhosis and no history of psychiatric illness or manifest encephalopathy were included, with previous authorization of informed consent and the research committee from the UV Medical School. The PHES battery was used as standardized test. Results: The sample size was calculated to be 66 patients. The PHES battery was performed in 34 of them, of which 35% (12) were diagnosed with minimal hepatic encephalopathy, 50% (6) women. The average age was 59 ± 10 years, minimum range 39, maximum range 80 (95% CI). Conclusion: The prevalence of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in 12 (35%), at UMAE HE No.14. The number and symbols test (DST) had a significant correlation regarding years of study, gender and age variables.

SAT-550 - Detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy: standardization of psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scale for Israeli population

SAT-550 - Detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy: standardization of psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scale for Israeli population

The Stroop test validation in the detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in Mexican patients with cirrhosis, preliminary results

The Stroop test validation in the detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in Mexican patients with cirrhosis, preliminary results

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy is associated to alterations in eye movements

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is diagnosed using PHES battery, but other tests are more sensitive, and a simple tool for early MHE detection is required. Assessment of saccadic eye movements is useful for early detection of cognitive alterations in different pathologies. We characterized the alterations in saccadic eye movements in MHE patients, its relationship with cognitive alterations and its utility for MHE diagnosis. One-hundred and eighteen cirrhotic patients (86 without and 32 with MHE) and 35 controls performed PHES and Stroop test and an eye movements test battery by OSCANN system: visual saccades, antisaccades, memory-guided saccades, fixation test and smooth pursuit. We analyzed 177 parameters of eye movements, assessed their diagnostic capacity for MHE, and correlated with cognitive alterations. MHE patients showed alterations in 56 of the 177 variables of eye movements compared to NMHE patients. MHE patients showed longer latencies and worse performance in most eye movements tests, which correlated with mental processing speed and attention impairments. The best correlations found were for antisaccades and memory-guided saccades, and some parameters in these tests could be useful for discriminating MHE and NMHE patients. Eye movements analysis could be a new, rapid, reliable, objective, and reproducible tool for early diagnose MHE.

Validation of EncephalApp_Stroop as screening tool for the detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in German patients with liver cirrhosis

BackgroundIn contrast to overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), the diagnosis of minimal HE (MHE) is challenging in patients with cirrhosis requiring elaborate, specialized testing. The EncephalApp_Stroop is a smartphone-based application established as screening tool for the diagnosis of MHE but has not yet been validated in a German cohort and country specific cut-offs are currently missing. Methods93 patients with cirrhosis were enroled into this study. Psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) was used to detect MHE, and a subset of the patients was tested with critical flicker frequency (CFF). All patients underwent testing with EncephalApp_Stroop. Cut-off thresholds for EncephalApp_Stroop were calculated according to Youden's Index and a separate cut-off was determined with focus on sensitivity. Results24 (26%) patients had MHE according to PHES. EncephalApp_Stroop had a strong correlation with PHES (r=-0.76, p<0.001), while there was only a modest correlation with CFF (r=-0.51, <0.001). On time as well as on+off time discriminated best between patients with and without MHE with AUROCS of 0.87 for both measures. According to Youden's index, a cut-off of >224.7 s (sec) (on+off time) discriminated best between patients with and without MHE with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 88%. The adjusted cut-off value for on+off time with focus on sensitivity (sensitivity:specificity weighed 2:1) was 185.1 s, yielding an optimized sensitivity of 92% and a negative predictive value of 96%. By using this cut-off as a pre-screening test in a stepwise diagnosis algorithm, elaborate testing with PHES could have been avoided in 49% of all patients. ConclusionEncephalApp_Stroop may be useful in a stepwise diagnosis algorithm or even as a stand-alone screening tool to detect MHE in German patients with cirrhosis.

Association Between Serum Levels of Neurofilament Light Chains and Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis.

INTRODUCTION:Serum biomarkers for the diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with liver cirrhosis would be desirable. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the association between MHE and serum levels of neurofilament light chains (sNfL) in patients with liver cirrhosis.METHODS:sNfL were studied in patients with liver cirrhosis (with or without MHE) and controls (patients with ischemic stroke, transitory ischemic attack, and healthy individuals). MHE was diagnosed using the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score.RESULTS:Patients with MHE showed higher sNfL than patients without MHE and controls. In multivariable analyses, higher sNfL were independently associated with the presence of MHE. sNfL had a reliable discriminative power for the detection of MHE with an area under the curve of 0.872.DISCUSSION:MHE is associated with higher sNfL.

Validation of a Simple Quality-of-Life Score for Identification of Minimal and Prediction of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is underdiagnosed because most clinics refrain from psychometric testing. Diagnostic activities need to go up so patients with MHE can get the treatment their condition requires. The sickness impact profile questionnaire for covert hepatic encephalopathy (SIPCHE) score is based on quality‐of‐life outcomes and has been proposed as a simple, patient‐administered diagnostic score for grade 1 and MHE. Validate the SIPCHE for MHE identification and overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) prediction. 110 patients with liver cirrhosis (age 60 years, Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score of 11.4, 80% blue‐collar) provided information for SIPCHE scoring: gender, age, and four SIP statements: “I do not maintain balance (physically),” “I act irritable or impatient with myself,” “I am not doing any of the usual physical recreation or activities,” and “I am eating much less than usual.” MHE was diagnosed using an abnormal continuous reaction time test and/or portosystemic encephalopathy syndrome test score. Patients were followed for 2.7 years on average. SIPCHE score positivity had high sensitivity (82%) but low specificity (38%) for MHE detection. Patients with an abnormal SIPCHE had a higher incidence of OHE during follow‐up (35% vs. 14%, P = 0.05). OHE prediction sensitivity was 87% and exclusion sensitivity was 85%. The patients with an abnormal SIPCHE had twice as many subsequent episodes of OHE, and despite their high mortality, also a higher risk. An abnormal SIPCHE had a high sensitivity and low specificity for MHE identification. An abnormal SIPCHE was associated with a more than doubled risk of OHE, even with death as a competing event. SIPCHE could be used as a high‐sensitivity, low‐cost, surrogate marker of MHE in clinics without availability of psychometric tests and allow more patients to benefit from anti‐MHE treatment.

Cognitive and neurophysiological assessment of patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy in Brazil

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy is a syndrome caused by cirrhosis, with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Its diagnosis is based on abnormal results of cognitive and neurophysiological tests, but there are no universally available criteria, especially in Brazil, where local testing standards are required. The objective of the present study was to compare the performance of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Rey’s auditory-verbal learning test (RAVLT), psychometric score of hepatic encephalopathy (PHES), topographic mapping of brain electrical activity (TMBEA) and long-latency auditory evoked potential (P300) in the detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in Brazil. From 224 patients with cirrhosis included in the global sample, 82.5% were excluded due to secondary causes responsible for cognitive or neurophysiological dysfunction. The final sample consisted of 29 cirrhotics, with predominance of A5 Child-Pugh classification, and 29 controls paired in critical variables such as age, educational level, gender, professional category, scores suggestive of mild depression, association with compensated type 2 diabetes mellitus and sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, performance on cognitive tests and TMBEA did not show a statistically significant difference. There was a marked difference in P300 latency adjusted for age, with patients with cirrhosis showing a mean of 385 ± 78 ms (median of 366.6 ms) and healthy volunteers exhibiting a mean of 346.2 ± 42.8 ms (median of 348.2 ms) (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that, in the earliest stages of cirrhosis, age-adjusted P300 latency was superior to cognitive assessment and TMBEA for detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

About Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

Introduction. Hepatic encephalopathy comprises a broad spectrum of neuropsychiatric manifestations, commonly encountered in patients with hepatic dysfunction, in the absence of other concomitant causes of cerebral infarction. Under these conditions, varying degrees of consciousness, neuromuscular dysfunction, cognitive, behavioral and emotional deficits coexist. Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is defined by a normal neurological clinical examination but with cognitive deficits that can be highlighted by neuropsychological testing. Material and Methods. A retrospective study was conducted on the latest 100 patients (2016-2018), traumatized in road accidents or dropping from their own level, the direct causes of which were apparently inexplicable. The methods included psychometric tests. Results and Discussion. If 78 patients were known with hepatic cirrhosis and episodically manifested encephalopathy, 20 of them were in treatment for major liver dysfunction, but without encephalopathy, and for 2 patients, the revealing element of hepatic suffering was latent encephalopathy, diagnosed after the road accident. The paper discusses the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, diagnostic difficulties and its practical implications. Conclusions. The current gold standard for MHE diagnosis is psychometric testing, which should be completed and revised as MHE is a major public health issue, associating with the risk of unprovoked falls and road accidents. MHE detection, sometimes as the first sign of decompensation of an ignored liver disease, but always as a prodrome of clinically manifest encephalopathy, requires specialized treatment and monitoring.

Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Mild Cognitive Impairment Worsen Quality of Life in Elderly Patients With Cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis are growing older. The overlap between minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and predementia mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could affect quality of life (QOL). We investigated the performance of elderly patients with cirrhosis on tests for MHE and MCI and their effects on QOL. We recruited outpatients with cirrhosis (n= 109) and without cirrhosis (controls, n= 100), 65 years or older, at 4 centers (derivation cohort). All study participants were assessed for psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES), EncephalApp score, and QOL. MCI was tested in patients with cirrhosis using the repeatable battery for assessment of neuropsychological status and assigned to the following groups: unimpaired, MCI only, MHE only, and MCI+MHE. We created adjusted norms to detect MHE using PHES and EncephalApp scores from the controls. Findings were validated using data from a separate cohort of 77 patients with cirrhosis (mean age, 69.49 ± 4.36 y; 72% men) at the same study sites. Controls were older but were more educated, performed better cognitively, and had better QOL. Among patients with cirrhosis, age, education, model for end-stage liver disease score, EncephalApp score, and QOL were similar, but PHES and repeatable battery for assessment of neuropsychological status differed among sites. In the derivation cohort, the presence of MHE, with or without MCI, was associated with poor QOL, which was lowest in the MCI+MHE group. When we adjusted for age, sex, and education, 49% of patients with cirrhosis had MHE based on the EncephalApp and 8% had MHE based on the PHES. A similar pattern (49% MHE based on EncephalApp and 6% MHE based on PHES) was found in a validation cohort. In a multicenter study of patients with cirrhosis (>65 y) and controls, the presence of MHE, regardless of MCI, was associated with poor cognition and QOL. We created adjusted norms that defined the high sensitivity of EncephalApp for the detection of MHE in older individuals and validated it in a separate cohort.

Role of MRI in Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

Role of MRI in Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

P: 28 Decreased Mean Kurtosis in the Putamen Is a Diagnostic Feature of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: To prevent development of overt hepatic encephalopathy, early intervention for minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) based on accurate diagnosis is essential. This study evaluated to investigate whether magnetic resonance diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could detect brain microstructure abnormalities in MHE. The aim was to confirm whether brain microstructure abnormalities detected by magnetic resonance imaging were used as diagnosis of MHE. METHODS: Thirty-two subjects were prospectively examined with a 3-T MR scanner. Tract-based spatial statistics and region of interest analyses of diffusion imaging were performed to compare mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) values between patients with/without minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Diagnostic performance for detection of MHE was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Ten subjects were diagnosed as MHE by neuropsychological testing. After exclusion of unsuitable subjects, we analyzed 9 subjects with MHE and 14 subjects without MHE. There were no significant differences in the sex, age, and etiology of liver cirrhosis (alcohol/HCV/NAFLD; 4/3/2 vs 7/3/4, P = 0.87) in the MHE group and non-MHE group. In TBSS, compared with FA and MD, MK detected the broadest area with significant changes in the white matter of patients with MHE (MK, 54.8%; FA, 34.3%; MD, 4.0%, respectively). Regarding ROI analysis in the basal ganglia, FA values of the caudate nucleus (CN), putamen (Put), and globus pallidus (GP) were significantly lower in the MHE group (0.15, 0.19, and 0.29, respectively) when compared with the non-MHE group (0.16, 0.21, and 0.32, respectively) (P = 0.012, 0.002, and 0.0001, respectively). In contrast, MD values in the basal ganglia showed no apparent differences between the groups. Subsequently, we performed ROC analysis on the sites where significant differences were found in the ROI analysis. Among the metrics, MK values of the Put achieved AUROC of 0.90, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of more than 80% (0.89, 0.86, 0.80, and 0.92, respectively) between the MHE and non-MHE groups. In conclusion, mean kurtosis on the putamen was a useful finding to distinguish patients with MHE among subjects with liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: DKI detects changes in the cerebral white matter and basal ganglia regions of the patients with MHE more sensitively than DTI. MK values in the putamen can be a useful marker for diagnosing MHE from cirrhotic patients without MHE.

Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score for the Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in South Indian patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score for the Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in South Indian patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Iranian Patients with Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is the mildest type of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis. Patients with MHE have normal clinical and physical examination but they show some neurocognitive dysfunctions that affect their quality of life negatively. The aim of the current study is to diagnose MHE in patients with cirrhosis and its associated factors. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study on 120 known cases of cirrhosis referred to hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences during 2014-17. The patients’ cirrhosis severity was evaluated using laboratory tests and physical examinations based on MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) and Child-Pugh criteria. The patients’ demographics were filled in a checklist. All included patients with cirrhosis were asked to respond to the questions of Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES) test. RESULTS Mean age of the patients was 51.2 ± 9.7 years. 62 (51.7%) patients were men and 58 (48.3%) patients were women. The mean score of the patients based on MELD criteria was 14.03 ± 6.09. 26.7% of the patients presented MHE. Mean age of the patients with MHE was statistically less than the patients without MHE (p value < 0.001). Mean score of MELD criteria among the patients with diagnosis of MHE was significantly higher than the other group (p value < 0.001). The patients’ Child class was statistically associated with MHE (p value < 0.001). Men were significantly more affected than women (p value = 0.03). CONCLUSION MHE was associated with MELD score and Child class of the patients with cirrhosis. The noticeable point was reversible association of age with MHE. Further studies are recommended.

3-Nitro-Tyrosine as a Biomarker of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Background: hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication in patient with liver cirrhosis. It comprises of a broad spectrum of neuropsychiatric abnormalities of varying severity, and affected patients usually suffer from psychomotor, cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and motor coordination dysfunctions. Patients with minimal HE (MHE), a subclinical form of HE, usually have a normal mental and neurological status upon routine clinical examination. The subtle deficits in patients with MHE can only be elicited by specialized neuropsychological tests. Aim of the Work: the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of 3-Nitro-Tyrosine as a biomarker of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis. Patients and Methods: our conducted study was a prospective case control study carried on 60 adult patients and 30 age matched controls. All were recruited from Internal Medicine and Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department at Ain Shams University Hospitals in the period between September 2016 and June 2018. All patients enrolled in the study were subjected to detailed history taking, full physical examination, laboratory investigations, psychometric tests for detection of MHE using specially digit symbol test (DST), Trail making test A (TMT A), Trail making test B (TMT B), serial dotting test (SDT) and 3-Nitro-Tyrosine level (3NT). Results: our study found that the serum levels of 3-nitro-tyrosine are a good predictor of the presence of MHE in patients with liver cirrhosis, with good sensitivity (90%) and specificity (93.33%) and positive and negative predictive values were 93.1% and 90.3% respectively at a cutoff of 14.8 ng. Conclusion: determination of 3-nitro-tyrosine in serum is easy and is not time consuming. It only requires taking a serum sample from the patient and determining 3-nitro-tyrosine concentration. This procedure can be therefore easily added to the routine clinical determinations in patients with liver cirrhosis. This would also allow extending the diagnosis of MHE to most clinical settings, helping to identify patients with MHE.

Does Rifaximin Improve EEG and VEP in Egyptian Cirrhotic Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy?

Background: Minimal hepatic Encephalopathy (MHE) is defined as HE without symptoms on clinical/neurological examination, but with deficits in some cognitive areas that can only be measured by neuropsychometric testing. However, numerous studies have shown that, although the neurological symptoms are slight, affected patients are markedly impaired in their quality of life and ability to work. Various treatment modalities that have been shown to reverse MHE include lactulose/lactitol, probiotics/synbiotics, L-carnitine but rifaximin has shown a general trend toward better efficacy and better tolerability in patients with overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). Objective: Our objective is to assess the diagnostic role of minimental state examination (MMSE), electroencephalography (EEG) and visual evoked potential (VEP) in detection of MHE and to evaluate the efficacy of rifaximin in improving EEG and VEP in patients with MHE. Patients and Methods: Sixty cirrhotic patients were enrolled in the study depending on clinical evidence of stigmata of chronic liver disease, laboratory investigations including liver function tests, ultrasonographic features of liver cirrhosis and with no evidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy. Diagnois of MHE was made depending on minimental state examination (MMSE) and neurophysiological tools including EEG and VEP. A control group of sixty healthy volunteers with age and sex matched were included. The patient group received Rifaximin 550 mg twice daily for 8 weeks then follow up EEG and VEP studies were done. Results: MHE was detected in 36.7%, 48.3%, 51.7% of our series based on MMSE, EEG and VEP respectively. Child Pouph A, B, C was found in 51.7%, 35%, 13.3% respectively. Rifaximin was well tolerated. At the end of treatment, EEG and VEP studies were done which showed signficant changes between pre and post treatment results (P value = 0.03, 0.001, Conclusion: MMSE as well as EEG and VEP were reasonable diagnostic tools for early detection of MHE particularly in countries with low level of education. Rifaximin significantly improves both EEG and VEP in cirrhotic patients with MHE.

Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Cirrhosis of Liver

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), though highly prevalent, is a frequently underdiagnosed complication of cirrhosis of the liver. Because lack of time is reported as the major reason for non-testing, identifying patients at high risk of MHE would help in targeting them for screening. We aimed to determine the factors associated with MHE to help identify patient subgroups with a higher risk of MHE for targeted screening. Patients with cirrhosis of liver presenting between April 2015 and November 2016 were included. Those with a Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES) of ≤-5 points on psychometric testing were diagnosed to have MHE. Various demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters were included in a univariate and later multiple logistic regression models. Of the 180 (male=166, 92.2%) patients included 94 (52.2%) had MHE. Though serum albumin, serum total bilirubin, serum aspartate aminotransferase, international normalized ration, Child-Turcotte-Pugh and Model-For-End-Stage-Liver-Disease scores were significant on univariate analysis, only CTP score was found to be significantly associated with MHE (P=0.002) on multivariate analysis. A higher CTP class was associated with a higher risk of the presence of MHE. The Odds ratio for having MHE was higher with CTP classes of B (P≤0.001) and C (P≤0.001) compared to class A. MHE is a common complication in patients with cirrhosis of liver and higher CTP scores independently predict the presence of MHE. Patients with CTP class B and C have a higher risk of suffering from MHE than CTP class A. Screening of patients in CTP class B and C is likely to increase the MHE detection rates while saving time, although select CTP class A patients may also need screening in view of public safety or poor quality of life.