Abstract
Purpose of Review: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common and devastating complication to chronic liver disease. In this paper, we summarize the latest research and evidence of both conventional and up-coming treatments. Recent Findings: Meta-analyses report beneficial effects of lactulose, branched-chain amino acids, rifaximin, and to some degree l-ornithine l-aspartate on the manifestations of HE in patients with cirrhosis, and generally the numbers needed to treat are low. Recent studies on newer HE treatments including ornithine phenylacetate, spherical carbon, and fecal microbiota transplant also report potentially beneficial effects on HE manifestations. Summary: The conventional treatments benefit patients with HE. Newer treatments are under study and more research is needed for their validation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 21 |
| Journal | Current Gastroenterology Reports |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISSN | 1534-312X |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2018 |
Keywords
- Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/therapeutic use
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use
- Disease Management
- Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
- Gastrointestinal Agents/therapeutic use
- Hepatic Encephalopathy/drug therapy
- Humans
- Lactulose/therapeutic use
- Probiotics/therapeutic use
- Rifamycins/therapeutic use
- Rifaximin