Therapeutic Areas

Liver : Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy
in Liver Cirrhosis

Acute hepatic encephalopathy is a condition seen in subjects with liver cirrhosis.

The liver can be damaged by viral infections, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, obesity and toxins, including alcohol and drugs. The prevalence of chronic liver disease (CLD) is increasing. Between 1999 and 2004, the number of hospitalizations for CLD increased by more than a third in the United States. Among all digestive diseases, CLD was the second leading cause of hospitalization.¹ CLD results in fibrosis or scarring, which over time can progress to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis affects more than 1 million patients in the U.S.²

Acute hepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neuropsychiatric abnormality observed in patients in the setting of chronic liver cirrhosis. With severe liver impairment, toxic substances that are normally removed by the liver, such as ammonia, accumulate in the circulation and impair the function of brain cells. Signs and symptoms of AHE include impaired cognition, confusion, and a decreased level of consciousness leading to coma, and ultimately death. During 2006 in the U.S., approximately 110,000 patients were admitted to the hospital for the symptoms of HE, costing the healthcare system $1.2 billion.³ Current treatment focuses on correcting the underlying precipitating cause such as gastrointestinal bleeding, infection or dehydration along with drugs that target the reduction of ammonia produced in the gut. However, the effectiveness of these drugs over and above the treatment of the precipitating cause has not been conclusively established.

See also: OCR-002