Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Cirrhotic Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy (n=69)
| Zinc group (n=35) | Placebo group(n=34) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Female | 6 (17.1%) | 7 (20.6%) | 0.77 |
| Male | 29 (82.9%) | 27 (79.4%) | 0.77 |
| Age | 60.06 ± 8.1 | 57.74 ± 9.1 | 0.27 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 24.96 ± 4.8 | 24.9 ± 4.8 | 0.96 |
| Education, years | 7.09 ± 3.4 | 8.79 ± 4.1 | 0.07 |
| Etiology of cirrhosis; n (%) | |||
| Chronic hepatitis C | 15 (42.9%) | 8 (23.5%) | 0.13 |
| Alcohol | 11 (31.4%) | 13 (38.2%) | 0.62 |
| Chronic hepatitis B | 6 (17.1%) | 7 (20.6%) | 0.77 |
| Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis | 3 (8.6%) | 3 (8.8%) | 1 |
| Autoimmune hepatitis | 0 (0%) | 2 (5.9%) | 0.24 |
| Primary biliary cholangitis | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.9%) | 0.5 |
| Present of esophageal varices | 9 (25.7%) | 4 (11.8%) | 0.22 |
| Ascites | 1 (2.9%) | 1 (2.9%) | 1 |
| Current treatment with beta-blocker |
8 (22.9%) | 2 (5.9%) | 0.08 |
| Current treatment with lactulose | 10 (28.6%) | 9 (26.5%) | 1 |
| Child-Pugh score | |||
| A | 33 (94.3%) | 31 (91.2%) | 0.673 |
| B | 2 (5.7%) | 3 (8.8%) | 0.673 |
Value presented as mean ± SD. and n (%). P-value corresponds to Independent t and Fisher’s exact test.