Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with and without prior HE
| No-HE (n=122) | Prior HE (n=83) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 56.1±6.9 | 58.4±6.7* |
| Gender (M/F) | 67/55 | 59/24* |
| Education (yrs) | 13.9±5.3 | 13.6±2.4 |
| MELD score | 11.6±4.9 | 16.0±5.8*** |
| Serum sodium | 139.7±3.0 | 137.7±4.7*** |
| Serum albumin | 3.8±0.6 | 3.3±0.6*** |
| Lactulose only | - | 34 |
| Rifaximin only | - | 6 |
| Lactulose+Rifaximin | - | 33 |
| SSRI | 16 | 15 |
| Other anti-depressants | 11 | 10 |
| Anti-anxiety | 11 | 11 |
| Anti-seizure | 2 | 1 |
| Anti-psychotic | 2 | 2 |
| Opioids | 10 | 11 |
| NSAIDs | 10 | 9 |
| Non-selective beta-blockers | 29 | 38 |
| Cognitive testing | ||
| Number connection-A (sec) | 30.2±10.5 | 48.3±23.5*** |
| Number connection-B (sec) | 75.4±35.8 | 142.9±93.4*** |
| Digit Symbol test | 65.9±17.6 | 47.3±16.3*** |
| Line tracing errors | 26.8±26.9 | 33.6±29.2 |
| Line tracing time (sec) | 85.5±24.0 | 120.3±61.5*** |
| Serial dotting test (sec) | 56.2±14.0 | 88.3±97.5** |
| Total median PHES score | 0 | −5 |
| CHE n (%) | 37 (30%) | 52 (63%) |
| PROMIS results | ||
| Anger | 48.8±9.5 | 49.0±8.9 |
| Anxiety | 51.3±7.9 | 53.9±7.7* |
| Depression | 48.4±8.5 | 50.7±8.4* |
| Fatigue | 52.1±10.2 | 56.7±8.9** |
| Pain behavior | 49.3±10.2 | 55.1±8.0*** |
| Pain interference | 50.6±10.5 | 56.6±9.5*** |
| Physical Function | 46.2±9.7 | 38.3±6.5*** |
| Social activity | 53.9±37.4 | 43.6±7.1** |
| Social roles | 48.4±10.1 | 41.6±6.5*** |
| Sleep disturbance | 52.3±10.8 | 56.9±9.2** |
| Wake disturbance | 51.1±11.4 | 56.6±9.7*** |
| Better than expected? (no. of patients) | ||
| Anger | 40 | 30 |
| Anxiety | 39 | 25 |
| Depression | 45 | 35 |
| Fatigue | 52 | 27 |
| Pain behavior | 51 | 30 |
| Pain interference | 48 | 32 |
| Physical Function | 43 | 24 |
| Social activity | 48 | 31 |
| Social roles | 47 | 30 |
| Sleep disturbance | 49 | 32 |
| Wake disturbance | 52 | 33 |
| Surprised? (no. of patients) | ||
| Anger | 28 | 25 |
| Anxiety | 26 | 26 |
| Depression | 27 | 18 |
| Fatigue | 25 | 19 |
| Pain behavior | 18 | 19 |
| Pain interference | 15 | 17 |
| Physical Function | 20 | 11 |
| Social activity | 17 | 13 |
| Social roles | 17 | 13 |
| Sleep disturbance | 23 | 15 |
| Wake disturbance | 24 | 13 |
While the overall PROMIS scores were significantly worse in patients with prior HE, there was no significant impact of this status on the patients reaction to their scores respective to the US norms, high score on digit symbol test indicates good performance; low score on the remaining cognitive tests indicates the same;
*
p<0.05,
**
p<0.01,
***
p<0.001