Author information
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Medical Education Building, 1 Robert Wood Johnson, Room 479, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. Electronic address: mie10@sph.rutgers.edu.
2 Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Medical Education Building, 1 Robert Wood Johnson, Room 479, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.
3 Department of Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, MSB, H-578, Newark, NJ 07101, USA.
4.Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, MedEd Building, Room 466, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy is a major neuropsychiatric complication of liver disease that affects 30% to 40% of cirrhotic patients. Hepatic encephalopathy is characterized by a brain dysfunction that is associated with neurologic complications. Those complications are associated with cognitive impairments, which negatively impacts patients' physical and mental health. In turn, hepatic encephalopathy poses a substantial economic and use burdens to the health care system. This article reviews the multidimensional aspects of the health care burden posed by hepatic encephalopathy.