Hepatic encephalopathy overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Hepatic encephalopathy (sometimes hepatoencephalopathy) is a potentially reversible neuropsychiatic abnormality in the setting of liver failure, whether chronic (as in cirrhosis), or acutely. It can be diagnosed only after exclusion of other neurological, psychiatric, infectious and metabolic etiologies.
With severe liver impairment, toxic substances normally removed by the liver accumulate in the blood and impair the function of brain cells. If there is also portal hypertension, and subsequent bypassing of the liver filtration system of blood flowing in from the intestines, these toxic substances can travel directly to the brain, without being modified or purified. Signs can include impaired cognition, a flapping tremor (asterixis), and a decreased level of consciousness including coma (hepatic coma or coma hepaticum), cerebral edema, and, ultimately, death.