A study analyzed the prevalence of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in different subgroups of cirrhosis patients without clinical signs of hepatic encephalopathy. The results showed that the overall prevalence of MHE was 35%, but after excluding patients with a history of overt hepatic encephalopathy, the prevalence decreased to 29%. Subgroup analysis revealed that MHE prevalence was low in patients with Child-Pugh stage A (25%), but higher in stage B (42%) and stage C (52%). Additionally, patients with higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores had a higher prevalence of MHE. The findings suggest the need for more individualized screening approaches for MHE in cirrhosis patients.
Reference: Gairing SJ, Mangini C, Zarantonello L, et al. Prevalence of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis: A Multicenter Study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 Apr 13. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002251. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36940426.
