Mohammad Tariq, Saleem Iqbal, Naji Ullah Khan, Rabia Basri.
Precipitating factors of hepatic encephalopathy.
Rawal Med J Jan ;34(1):95-7.

Objective To analyze the precipitating factors of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Method Two hundred admitted patients with liver cirrhosis with HE from January 2006 to September 2006 were included in the study. Grades of HE and Child`s Pugh classification was also determined. Results Out of 200 patients, 106 (53%) were male. Amongst the precipitating factors, 30% had constipation, 29% upper gastrointestinal bleed (GIB), 8% spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), 19.5% urinary tract infection (UTI), 2.5% lower respiratory tract infection and 3% had diarrhea. There was hyponatremia in 1.5% and hypokalemia in 4.5% patients. High protein diet in 0.5% and bromazepam intake in 1% were presumed precipitating factors and 0.5% had antituberculous therapy induced liver injury. Conclusions Constipation, gastrointestinal bleeding and infections were the most common precipitating factors of HE in our patients. (Rawal Med J 2009; 34: 122-125)

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