Dementia and hepatic encephalopathy were strongly associated in a analysis of U.S. veterans with cirrhosis, but the study’s authors caution that these associations often are misleading because hepatic encephalopathy often causes confusion until it is managed effectively.
“I’ve given patients with hepatic encephalopathy lactulose and rifaximin [Xifaxan, Salix], and overnight they get better. They regain their cognitive function by the next morning, and that doesn’t happen