title: Frequency of minimal hepatic encepalopathy in illeterate patients with compensated cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine frequency of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in illiterate patients with compensated cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Illiterate patients with compensated cirrhosis with F4 Score on Shear-wave Elastography were selected for study after informed consent. Sample size was estimated at 106. Selected patients were subjected to two tests for detection of MHE, Number Connection Test A and Block Design Test. Patients taking ≥ 30 seconds were labelled as Positive for MHE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 110 selected patients 10.9% were alcoholics and in 8.2% of patients no hepatic virus infection was detected. HCV was positive in 48.2% patients while HBV was positive in 13.6% of patients. MHE was detected in 72 (65.5%) of patients. Major differences were found in MHE Stage II & III by two tests. Over all BDT detected more cases and gave higher Staging in Stage II & III as compared to NCT-A test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy (MHE) could be detected in illiterate patients using NCT-A and BDT Tests.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Bader Faiyaz Zuberi, FCPS. Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Bader Faiyaz
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Zuberi
authors.affiliation: Dr. Haris Alvi, FCPS. Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Haris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alvi
authors.affiliation: Dr. Faisal Faiyaz Zuberi, FCPS. Department of Pulmonology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Faisal Faiyaz
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Zuberi
authors.affiliation: Dr. Tazeen Rasheed, FCPS. Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tazeen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rasheed
authors.affiliation: Dr. Zunaira Nawaz, FCPS. Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zunaira
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nawaz
authors.affiliation: Dr. Fatima-tuz-Zohra, MBBS. Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.lastname: Fatima-Tuz-Zohra
keywords: Compensated Cirrhosis; Illetrate; Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy