Undiagnosed Cirrhosis and Hepatic Encephalopathy in a National Cohort of Veterans With Dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Dementia and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are challenging to distinguish clinically. Undiagnosed cirrhosis in a patient with dementia can lead to missed opportunities to treat HE.

Objective

To examine the prevalence and risk factors of undiagnosed cirrhosis and therefore possible HE in veterans with dementia.

Design, setting, and participants

A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2009 and 2019 using data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and 2 separate validation cohorts from the Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Data analysis was conducted from May 20 to October 15, 2023. Participants included 177 422 US veterans with a diagnosis of dementia at 2 or more clinic visits, no prior diagnosis of cirrhosis, and with sufficient lab

SUBMITTER: Bajaj JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10831576 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature