Table 2.

Using HRQOL to diagnose covert HE

Study, year	Questionnaire	Covert HE strategy	Study design	Results
Groeneweg et al., 2000 [13]	SIP individual questions	EEG, Number Connection Test A and Digit Symbol Test	Cross-sectional study with 179 outpatients	5 questions of the SIP (I forget a lot, I spend much of the day lying down, I have difficulty doing handwork, I am not working at all, I am confused and start several actions at a time), sex, Child score and varices were able to diagnose covert HE with 90% sensitivity
Hirano et al., 2015 [12]	CLDQ	Paper–pencil tests	Cross-sectional with regression (n = 59) in outpatients	CLDQ Worry domain was an independent factor, with an AUC of 0.71
Nabi et al., 2014 [11]	SIP individual questions	Paper–pencil tests	Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of 170 outpatients over 1 year	4 questions of the SIP (I do not maintain balance, I act irritable or am impatient with myself, I am not doing any of my usual physical recreation or activities, I am eating much less than usual), age and sex identified covert HE at baseline, 6 months and 12 months with > 80% sensitivity

HRQOL health-related quality of life, HE hepatic encephalopathy, EEG electroencephalogram, SIP Sickness Impact Profile, CLDQ Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire