Researchers retrospectively analyzed the impact of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) on the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in cirrhotic patients after they underwent a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. Sarcopenic patients were found to have a three-fold higher risk of developing hepatic encephalopathy and an eight-fold higher risk of experiencing multiple episodes of hepatic encephalopathy. Age, serum albumin levels, and skeletal muscle index were independently associated with post-TIPS hepatic encephalopathy in multivariate analysis.The study concluded that sarcopenia is common in cirrhotic patients undergoing TIPS, significantly raising the risk of both single and multiple episodes of HE. The research suggests that a higher skeletal muscle index is associated with a reduced risk of hepatic encephalopathy.
Reference: Bhatia Kapoor P, Benjamin J, Tripathi H, et al. Post-transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Hepatic Encephalopathy: Sarcopenia Adds Insult to Injury. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2023 Apr;34(4):406-412. doi: 10.5152/tjg.2023.21964. PMID: 36620928; PMCID: PMC10210830
