classification of hepatic encaphalopathy

Last reviewed 01/2018

classification of hepatic encephalopathy

Several methods have been proposed for classification of HE.

• according to the underlying disease
• type A - due to acute liver failure
• type B - due to portal venous bypass with portosystemic shunting
• type C - due to cirrhotic liver disease
  
  
• according to the severity of manifestations
• grading of HE has traditionally been defined by the West Haven Criteria (WHC), also known as the Conn score
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• according to its time course
• episodic HE
• recurrent HE denotes bouts of HE that occur with a time interval of 6 months or less.
• persistent HE denotes a pattern of behavioral alterations that are always present and interspersed with relapses of overt HE
  
  
• according to the existence of precipitating factors
• nonprecipitated or
• precipitated, and the precipitating factors should be specified. Precipitating factors can be identified in nearly all bouts of episodic HE type C and should be actively sought and treated when found

Reference:

• (1) Vilstrup H et al. Hepatic encephalopathy in chronic liver disease: 2014 Practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Hepatology. 2014;60(2):715-35