Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a reversible syndrome of impaired brain function occurring in patients with advanced liver diseases. The precise pathophysiology of HE is still under discussion; the leading hypothesis focus on the role of neurotoxins, impaired neurotransmission due to metabolic changes in liver failure, changes in brain energy metabolism, systemic inflammatory response and altera...

Cirrhotic patients exhibit disturbed melatonin homeostasis, which may lead to sleep disturbances, but an influence on the hepatic encephalopathy has not been elucidated. Aim. In the present study, the association of melatonin levels in serum and ascitic fluid and ammonia concentration related to the intensity of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) was investigated. Material and Methods. The study inclu...

Objective: To explore the prognostic factors of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) for survival. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 282 hepatic encephalopathy patients from January 2012 to May 2014 in our hospital. Data base was built using Excel and SPSS 18.0. Multivariate logistic regression statistics were used to analyze 21 possible risk factors, including gender, age, ALB, ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of Rifaximin in prevention of repeated episodes of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis as compared to placebo. STUDY DESIGN Triple-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, from October 2012 to April 2013. METHODOLOGY Patients in r...

The term minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) refers to the subtle changes in cognitive function, electrophysiological parameters, cerebral neurochemical/neurotransmitter homeostasis, cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and fluid homeostasis that can be observed in patients with cirrhosis who have no clinical evidence of hepatic encephalopathy; the prevalence is as high as 84% in patients with hep...

The liver is the most important organ for the well-functioning of other organs because of its vital role in nutrition, metabolism and secretion. Any disturbance in normal homeostasis of liver as it happens in acute liver failure (ALF) and chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) will lead to extra hepatic manifestations of liver disease, among them one is encephalopathy. And this encephalopathy caused...