RESUMO
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) represents a common complication of liver cirrhosis. Protein-calorie malnutrition is frequently encountered in the cirrhotic patient and its most obvious clinical manifestation is sarcopenia. This condition represents a risk factor for HE occurrence because skeletal muscle acts as an alternative site for ammonium detoxification. Preventive intervention through an adequate assessment of nutritional status should be carried out at early stages of the disease and in a multidisciplinary team using both non-instrumental methods (food diary, anthropometric measurements, blood chemistry tests) and instrumental methods (bioimpedance testing, DEXA, CT, indirect calorimetry, dynamometry). Dietary recommendations for patients with HE do not differ from those for cirrhotic patient without HE. Daily caloric intake in the non-obese patient should be 30-40 Kcal/Kg/day with a protein intake of 1-1.5 g/Kg/day, especially of vegetable origin, through 4-6 meals daily. In patients with HE, it is also essential to monitor electrolyte balance, supplementing any micronutrient deficiencies such as sodium and zinc, as well as vitamin deficiencies because they can cause neurological symptoms similar to those of HE. In light of the critical role of nutritional status, this aspect should not be underestimated and should be included in the diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm of patients with HE.
RESUMO
Type-C hepatic encephalopathy is a complex neurological syndrome, characteristic of patients with liver disease, causing a wide and complex spectrum of nonspecific neurological and psychiatric manifestations, ranging from a subclinical entity, minimal hepatic encephalopathy, to a deep form in which a complete alteration of consciousness can be observed: overt hepatic encephalopathy. Overt hepatic encephalopathy occurs in 30-40% of patients. According to the time course, hepatic encephalopathy is subdivided into episodic, recurrent and persistent. Diagnostic strategies range from simple clinical scales to more complex psychometric and neurophysiological tools. Therapeutic options may vary between episodic hepatic encephalopathy, in which it is important to define and treat the precipitating factor and hepatic encephalopathy and secondary prophylaxis, where the standard of care is non-absorbable disaccharides and rifaximin. Grey areas and future needs remain the therapeutic approach to minimal hepatic encephalopathy and issues in the design of therapeutic studies for hepatic encephalopathy.