Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Kapil Sharma, Shivani Akre, Swarupa Chakole, Mayur B. Wanjari
Summary: Hepatic encephalopathy is a condition commonly seen in individuals with liver cirrhosis, resulting in personality changes, intellectual impairment, and decreased level of consciousness. While many symptoms can be treated early, the exact pathophysiology of HE is still debated, with theories focusing on neurotoxins, altered neurotransmission, systemic inflammation, and metabolic irregularities in liver failure.
CUREUS JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Rajiv Jalan, Christopher F. Rose
Summary: The clinical progress in managing hepatic encephalopathy lags behind basic research, making current criteria for definition, classification, diagnosis, and grading difficult to apply reproducibly. Studies suggest that hepatic encephalopathy may be irreversible in many patients, requiring further research into neuronal injury and death mechanisms for future drug development. Lactulose, currently considered the standard of care, has poor clinical evidence for all severity levels of hepatic encephalopathy, and ethical consideration should be given to placebo-controlled trials.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xianghui Han, Zhanyang Luo, Wenyi Wang, Peiyong Zheng, Tian Li, Zubing Mei, Jianyi Wang
Summary: Rifaximin therapy shows effectiveness and good tolerability in treating and preventing different types of hepatic encephalopathy, with significant improvements in cognitive function and reduction in the risk of recurrent episodes of HE.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Takao Miwa, Tatsunori Hanai, Kenji Imai, Koji Takai, Makoto Shiraki, Hideki Hayashi, Shogo Shimizu, Yoichi Nishigaki, Eiichi Tomita, Masahito Shimizu
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of rifaximin on the circulating albumin structure in patients with liver cirrhosis and found that rifaximin reduces serum ammonia levels but has no significant impact on serum albumin levels.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Simona Parisse, Quirino Lai, Francesca Martini, Alice Martini, Flaminia Ferri, Monica Mischitelli, Fabio Melandro, Gianluca Mennini, Massimo Rossi, Domenico Alvaro, Stefano Ginanni Corradini
Summary: In cirrhotic patients with a history of hepatic encephalopathy, rifaximin treatment reduces hospitalizations and lowers the risk of all-cause hospitalization and hepatic encephalopathy-related hospitalization in patients on the liver transplantation waiting list.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Koos de Wit, Ulrich Beuers, Anna Mukha, Edwin C. A. Stigter, M. Can Gulersonmez, Jose Ramos M. Pittol, Sabine Middendorp, R. Bart Takkenberg, Saskia W. C. van Mil
Summary: This study investigated the effects of rifaximin on the biotransformation machinery in the small intestine, uncovering its role in promoting ammonia detoxification by increasing glutamine and asparagine concentrations.
LIVER INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Junxiong Cheng, Yafang Chen, Wenfu Cao, Guoqing Zuo
Summary: This meta-analysis compared the efficacy of rifaximin and nonabsorbable disaccharides (NADs) in treating hepatic encephalopathy. Rifaximin was found to be better in achieving complete resolution of HE compared to NADs, but no significant differences were observed in mental status, blood ammonia level, or adverse effects between the two treatment groups.
Article
Microbiology
Ming-Wei Wang, Wei-Juan Ma, Yan Wang, Xiao-Han Ma, Yu-Feng Xue, Jing Guan, Xi Chen
Summary: This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of different intestinal microecological modulators in the treatment of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and explore the potential mechanism through intestinal microbiota analysis. The results showed that probiotics, rifaximin, and lactulose are safe and effective in the treatment of MHE, and they can improve the composition of gut microbiota to some extent.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lisa Zarantonello, Chiara Mangini, Davide Erminelli, Silvano Fasolato, Paolo Angeli, Piero Amodio, Sara Montagnese
Summary: It is known that patients with covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) exhibit working memory abnormalities, but there is no study comparing patients with cirrhosis with/without CHE and controls with both electrophysiological and hemodynamic data collected at the same time. This study showed that the presence of cirrhosis had more effects on working memory than CHE at baseline. Treatment with rifaximin was more beneficial to patients without CHE, suggesting greater room for improvement in this complex task.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Dominique Thabut, Charlotte Bouzbib, Lucy Meunier, Manon Haas, Nicolas Weiss, Alexandre Louvet, Francois Imbert-Bismut, Fanny Mochel, Yann Nadjar, Antoine Santiago, Thierry Thevenot, Veronique Duhalde, Frederic Oberti, Claire Francoz, Audrey Coilly, Marie-Noelle Hilleret, Pascal Lebray, Amelie Liou-Schischmanoff, Louise Barbier, Christophe Duvoux, Georges-Philippe Pageaux, Michael Bismuth, Damien Galanaud, Thomas De Broucker, Jean-Francois Cadranel, Vincent Leroy, Vincent Di Martino, Dominique Larrey, Christophe Camus, Olivier Scatton, Victor De Ledinghen, Ariane Mallat, Marika Rudler, Christophe Bureau
Summary: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent and severe complication of liver disease that often goes undiagnosed due to a lack of understanding and consensus on diagnosis. Non-specific symptoms and comorbidities in cirrhotic patients make differential diagnosis challenging. Guidelines are provided to assist clinicians in diagnosing and treating HE. Liver transplantation may be indicated for HE, but its reversibility post-transplantation and the consequences in patients with other neurological disorders remain controversial.
LIVER INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hideto Kawaratani, Yasuteru Kondo, Ryoji Tatsumi, Naoto Kawabe, Norikazu Tanabe, Akira Sakamaki, Kazuo Okumoto, Yoshihito Uchida, Kei Endo, Takumi Kawaguchi, Tsunekazu Oikawa, Yoji Ishizu, Shuhei Hige, Taro Takami, Shuji Terai, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Satoshi Mochida, Yasuhiro Takikawa, Takuji Torimura, Tomokazu Matsuura, Masatoshi Ishigami, Kazuhiko Koike, Hitoshi Yoshiji
Summary: This study found that long-term treatment with rifaximin is effective and safe for patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Ammonia levels significantly improved after 3 months of treatment and remained improved until 12 months. There were no serious adverse events reported, and the incidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy was low.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Leen Z. Hasan, George Y. Wu
Summary: Hepatic encephalopathy is a devastating complication of chronic liver disease with high mortality rates, and current treatment modalities, while promising, are limited by study design and lack of safety data.Various treatment options targeting gut microbiota, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter modulation have shown promise but more research is needed to address their limitations.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Katerina Kroupina, Chantal Bemeur, Christopher F. Rose
Summary: Hepatic encephalopathy is a decline in brain function caused by liver insufficiency. The liver's reduced ability to clear ammonia plays a crucial role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Cirrhotic patients require high protein intake, but this can increase the accumulation of ammonia, worsening hepatic encephalopathy. Finding a nutritional solution that provides sufficient protein doses without increasing the risk of hepatic encephalopathy is necessary.
ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Fulvio Pandico, Anna Citarella, Simona Cammarota, Francesca Futura Bernardi, Ernesto Claar, Carmine Coppola, Marianna Cozzolino, Federica De Rosa, Massimo Di Gennaro, Marianna Fogliasecca, Roberta Giordana, Daniela Pacella, Alessandro Russo, Vito Salerno, Luca Scafa, Ugo Trama
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic management of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) patients in Italy. It found that only 58.5% of patients received rifaximin, and after one year, only 54.5% were adherent and persistent users of the medication.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Christophe Bureau, Dominique Thabut, Caroline Jezequel, Isabelle Archambeaud, Louis D'Alteroche, Sebastien Dharancy, Patrick Borentain, Frederic Oberti, Aurelie Plessier, Victor De Ledinghen, Nathalie Ganne-Carrie, Nicolas Carbonell, Vanessa Rousseau, Agnes Sommet, Jean Marie Peron, Jean Pierre Vinel
Summary: The study demonstrated that rifaximin significantly reduces the incidence of overt HE after TIPS, with good tolerability. However, the results primarily apply to patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, and further research is needed to evaluate the effects on other types of cirrhosis.
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)