Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study cohort.
| Variable | All patients (N = 135) | Patients with CHE (n = 50) | Patients without CHE (n = 85) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 60 (53; 66) | 61 (54; 68) | 60 (53; 66) | 0.356 | |
| Male sex, n (%) | 67 (50) | 28 (56) | 39 (46) | 0.256 | |
| Aetiology |
Alcohol, n (%) Other, n (%) |
80 (59) 55 (41) |
37 (74) 13 (26) |
43 (51) 42 (49) |
0.008 |
| MELD score, median (IQR) | 11 (9; 16) | 14 (11; 18) | 10 (8; 15) | <0.001 | |
| Child–Pugh A/B/C, n (%) | 64/60/11 (47/44/8) | 11/32/7 (22/64/14) | 53/28/4 (62/33/5) | <0.001 | |
| History of OHE, n (%) | 17 (13) | 12 (24) | 5 (6) | 0.002 | |
| History of ascites, n (%) | 84 (62) | 40 (80) | 44 (52) | 0.001 | |
| Sodium (mmol/L), median (IQR) | 138 (135; 140) | 137 (133; 140) | 138 (137; 140) | 0.016 | |
| Albumin (g/L), median (IQR) | 32 (27; 39) | 28 (24; 35) | 35 (29; 43) | <0.001 | |
| WBC count (/nl), median (IQR) | 5.6 (3.8; 7.6) | 5.3 (3.8; 7.5) | 5.8 (3.9; 8.0) | 0.693 | |
| IL-6 (pg/ml), median (IQR)∗ | 19 (9; 40) | 33 (16; 66) | 13 (5; 30) | 0.001 | |
| Ammonia (μmol/L), median (IQR)† | 44 (35; 58) | 55 (44; 65) | 38 (31; 47) | <0.001 | |
| GFAP (pg/ml), median (IQR) | 138 (87; 196) | 163 (136; 268) | 106 (75; 153) | <0.001 | |
| CHE, n (%) | 50 (37) | 50 (100) | 0 (0) | ||
| PHES, median (IQR) | −3 (−8; 0) | −10 (−12; −7) | −1 (−3; 1) | <0.001 | |
Data are expressed as medians and IQRs or as frequencies and percentages. Differences between individuals with CHE and those without CHE with metric data were evaluated using an unpaired t test or a Mann–Whitney U test depending on data distribution. Regarding categorical variables, a chi-square test was applied. p values < 0.05 are highlighted in bold font.
CHE, covert hepatic encephalopathy; GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; OHE, overt hepatic encephalopathy; PHES, psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score; WBC, white blood cell.
∗
Measured in 70 patients.
†
Measured in 43 patients.