Observations of hepatic encephalopathy profile in a tertiary care centre.

A study was conducted among 67 patients presenting with hepatic encephalopathy to establish the aetiological diagnosis and record the incidence of acute and chronic liver diseases. They all had undergone thorough clinical and laboratory evaluation. The factor precipitating encephalopathy was also identified. Among 67 patients 19 (28.4%) had acute liver disease and 48 (71.6%) had chronic liver disease. Majority of patients had grade 2 encephalopathy at presentation. Among the acute cases most common aetiology was acute viral hepatitis due to hepatitis B and E viruses whereas alcoholic liver disease was the most frequent cause of chronic liver disease. The most common precipitating factor was gastro-intestinal haemorrhage.