Multidimensional assessment of neuro-psychiatric symptoms in patients with low-grade hepatic encephalopathy: a clinical rating scale.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility of a new clinical rating scale for a standardized assessment of cirrhosis-associated neuro-psychiatric symptoms.


METHODS
Forty patients with liver cirrhosis (LC, with or without low-grade hepatic encephalopathy) were invest-igated using a clinical neuro-psychiatric rating scale based on a comprehensive list of neurological, psychomotor, cognitive, affective, behavioral symptoms, and symptoms of disturbed bioregulation.


RESULTS
The analysis revealed that the majority of cirrhotic patients showed, besides characteristic neurological symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy, various psychomotor, affective and bioregulatory symptoms (disturbed sleep and sexual dysfunction). Patients were impaired in the following subscales: sleep and biorhythm disorder (75.0% of patients), Parkinsonoid symptoms (25.0%), affective symptoms (17.5%), and psychomotor retardation (12.5%). The increase of total neuro-psychiatric clinical score was significantly associated with the degree of hepatic enceph-alopathy.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that a substantial number of patients with LC and low-grade hepatic encephalopathy manifest various clinical neuro-psychiatric symptoms. The use of a rating scale, which explores clinical dimensions of hepatic encephalopathy, would improve the management of patients with LC.
Mechtcheriakov
Sergei
S
Department of General Psychiatry, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria. s.mechtcheriakov@uibk.ac.at
Graziadei
Ivo-W
IW
Kugener
André
A
Wiedemann
Julia
J
Galbavy
Chantal
C
Hinterhuber
Hartmann
H
Marksteiner
Josef
J
Vogel
Wolfgang
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010808:Physical Examination; D015203:Reproducibility of Results