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Memory impairment in patients with cirrhosis
Funda Bahceci1, Bulent Yildirim, Melih Karincaoglu
1School of Medicine, Department on Internal Medicine, TR-44069, Malatya, Turkey. fbahceci@inonu.edu.tr
Journal of the National Medical Association
|February 17, 2005
Summary
Cirrhosis patients, even without overt symptoms, experience significant memory impairment due to subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (HE). This cognitive decline impacts their quality of life, highlighting subclinical HE as a crucial social issue.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in cirrhosis patients often presents with memory and psychomotor deficits.
- Clinically overt HE is characterized by more pronounced cognitive impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare memory status in cirrhotic patients with and without clinically overt HE.
- To assess the prevalence of subclinical HE in cirrhosis patients.
Main Methods:
- Included 32 cirrhotic patients and 20 healthy controls.
- Assessed memory using Wechsler Memory Scale, verbal, and complex memory process tests.
- Classified HE severity and patient groups (Child-Pugh A, B, C).
Main Results:
- Grade-1 HE was detected in 22% of cirrhotic patients.
- Cirrhotic patients without HE showed 36-92% memory decrements compared to controls.
- Patients with HE exhibited 42.9-100% memory decrements versus those without HE, though not statistically significant.
- No significant differences in memory scores were found between cirrhotic patients with and without overt HE, or across Child-Pugh classifications.
Conclusions:
- Memory status is affected in cirrhotic patients even with normal clinical neurological status (subclinical HE).
- Decreased memory performance in subclinical HE can negatively impact patient satisfaction and lifestyle.
- Subclinical HE represents a significant social problem requiring attention.